Glass House
by Darkest Side of Death
Summary: All right, chapter 12 up. Everything for Miroku, it's started.
1. Chapter One: Attack

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, no one would care about it enough to write about it in the first place. My creativity is screwed- it works for a time then quits on me with the grace of a dying deer.

Okay, this is my first Inuyasha fic, so it'll probably suck pretty bad. I just started this show so I know practically nothing. Feel free to correct my mistakes if you have the abounding hours of free time needed. 

PG-13 cause of Inuyasha's mouth and cause I wanna be safe and El only knows what'll happen next… &_&

I made up my own character. Why? I have no idea. It's not a Mary-Sue!! Grr… Yes, she is rather on the important side but she'll leave eventually, I think… um… ^_^

I "borrowed" the title from Jaci Velasquez's song "Glass House" on her new CD [Unspoken]. The little quote-things are lines from the song. Awe, shut up and leave my lack of creativity alone!!! More likely then not, the title will have little, if anything to do with the chapter. 

Glass House

"Sometimes it feels as though my life is like a test; with expectations that I've got to be the best."

"Three weeks past and we still have no more leads on the jewel shards." Inuyasha pointed out with a rude edge of his voice as the group was setting up a camp in the forest for the night.

"Oh, stop pouting, Inuyasha. We'll find a lead eventually- be patient." Kagome pointed out, slightly irritated with Inuyasha's continuous pouting.

"Humph." Inuyasha grunted back, crossing his legs and arms in his classic boredom pose, the tetsusaiga sheathed across his lap.

Miroku ignored the rest of the party and concentrated on building a fire. He finally got a decent spark after quite some time of fruitless attempts, and the yellow and orange flames licked the pieces of dry wood he'd collected. He settled down, hands cupped in his lap as he stared into the twisting flames.

Sango ambled up to the fire and settled beside the thoughtful houshi.

"Miroku, daijoubu?" Sango asked, in all politeness. She was on her toes and totally on her guard, just in case the hentai tried to cop a feel. Much to her surprise, the monk just sat there, hardly noticing her presence, except for a soft answer to her question.

"Hai." He said, not really knowing or caring that the object of his half-unknown affections was sitting several inches from him on her own free will. 

_'Jeez, what's up with Miroku? I bet he doesn't even know what I asked him.'_ Sango thought, worry crossing her mind for half a moment. Suddenly her head popped up from her thought, ears on the edge. Kilala(1) tensed beside her, and Sango's hand went to her boomerang(2). 

Inuyasha's ears pricked up at an unheard sound, and his and Sango's eyes met.

"Something's around here." Inuyasha said simply, his hand going to the tetsusaiga and his thumb flicking it partially out. Kagome reached for her bow and an arrow, and Shippou grabbed the small dagger he'd been outfitted with earlier. Kilala grew tensed for attack, ready to transform at any time. Only Miroku didn't move.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha called in a hoarse whisper. "Get up you lazy houshi!" he added angrily.

"Miroku! Come on!" Shippou called.

"Miroku!" Kagome called, her irritation with Inuyasha turning into irritation with the monk. But Miroku just sat there.

"Fine!" Inuyasha spat. "Don't think we'll be helping your sorry ass." Sango took a step towards Miroku, but then hung her head and stepped back again. 

Miroku cringed at the cruelty of the remark, but stayed where he was, gritting his teeth and forcing his eyes to stay shut. 

The attack came almost unnoticed. The tension of the party disabled their sense of judgement. Demons attacked the party in a rush of noise.

"Iron reaver, soul stealer(3)!" Inuyasha cried, destroying the first wave of demons. "What the hell?!" he cried as a new wave of demons appeared right after the first. 

"There's no end to the demons!" Kagome wailed.

Inuyasha growled and attacked again, but Kagome was right, the demons were coming as fast as he could destroy them. 

"Kilala!" Sango cried, grabbing her boomerang and mounting the ferocious fire cat(4) with vengeance. She wiped out countless demons, but soon there were too many.

Kagome's shriek filled the trees. Demons lifted her off the ground, much to her protests and fighting. She struggled, but they held her fast.

_'Why aren't they killing me?' _Kagome thought, wildly striking the demons with her fists.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried, attacking the demons with fury that was unmatchable by anyone. He caught Kagome in his arms and carried her to the ground safely. She shook in his embrace, still afraid from her near kidnapping. Sango alighted near them, holding her boomerang in one hand. 

"It's useless to fight, Inuyasha! They are coming faster then we can kill them!" she called, standing near them. Inuyasha grunted in anger. In that second, the demons surrounded them. 

"We'll have to fight to the death then." He answered without a second thought. "What else can we do?" and with that, the taijiya, hanyou and demon cat began to fight, while Kagome fitted an arrow to her bow. One of the more daring demons dove at Sango with a strangely material weapon glowing with magic. 

"Ah!" Sango yelped, unable to bring up her weapon to stop the attack. She cringed back, closing her eyes, but the blade never struck her. Inuyasha stood in front of her, blood dripping from a gash in his shoulder. He fell to his knees, the poison of the blade working on him quickly, and the demon lifted its sword above its head for the death strike. 

"IIE!" a voice called from the woods. In a brilliant flash of light the demons all around them vanished. A girl came out of the woods, worry painted across her face.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked.

"You are the leader of the demons!" Inuyasha cried. "That is why I sensed a person and not a demon! You made them attack us!" he dove at her, the tetsusaiga out in his grasp. "DIE!" he roared, his pain and injury forgotten in his bloodlust. The blade pierced her shoulder and pain crossed her face.

"No!" she gasped. "You don't understand…!" her eyes flashed red for a moment and the blade and Inuyasha was thrown far from her to strike a tree. Inuyasha growled very politely for a pissed-off hanyou.

"Bitch!" he snarled, and jumped at her again, the blade above his head.

"Oswari!" Kagome cried when Inuyasha was halfway there.

"Shit!" he cried, as he struck the ground full force, leaving a hole shaped just like him about six feet deep.

"Nani?" the girl asked, eyes darting from the hole, to Inuyasha's prone form, then to Kagome in disbelief. 

"Ah, sorry about that, Inuyasha's just being overly hostile. He's not always like this…" Kagome started, blushing slightly.

"Hey! What did you do that for!" Inuyasha cried from the hole, standing up and brushing the dirt off his clothes. Now that his bloodlust had passed, he was feeling slightly weaker and his pain was growing.

__

'What the hell is happening to me? I've gotten beat up worse then this in the past and never been this weak.' He thought.

"You were threatening her life! What do you expect me to do?" Kagome answered innocently. 

"I'm sorry about my demons." The strange girl said to him, then turning to the other two girls. "They are like the hanyou there, they like to get overly hostile when they think their friends are in danger." Inuyasha stiffened at the "hanyou" in her little speech. 

"Who are you and what do you want with us?" he snapped, thoroughly pissed off at this girl who'd ruined a peaceful night, but feeling weaker and weaker.

"Inuyasha! Be more polite!" Kagome chastened him. "Gomen." She said, apologetically to the strange girl.

"It's not a problem." The stranger assured her. "My name is Nori."

"I'm Kagome, and this, as you may have guessed, is Inuyasha." Kagome said, pointing at the sulking hanyou. 

"And I'm Sango." Sango said, coming up with the smaller Kilala in her arms.

"Oh! What a cute cat!" Nori said with a bright smile. 

"Her name is Kilala." Sango said, smiling. 

"Hey! Who is she?" Shippou asked with as much hostility as he could muster- in other words, not much.

"Shippou! Where were you?" Kagome asked, embarrassed that she hadn't noticed he was missing.

"I got thrown off into the woods. Who is she?" Shippou answered, pointing at Nori.

"This is Nori." Kagome told him, smiling.

"Oh, hi. I'm Shippou." Shippou said, lowering his hand.

"Hi Shippou!" she said, smiling. Inuyasha groaned behind her, and she turned to him. 

"Oh, I forgot about your arm!" Kagome yelped, running to Inuyasha and trying to assess the wound.

"Which demon did that?" Nori asked angrily. 

"Which demon?" Kagome asked, looking at Nori as though she was mad.

"A blue one with a glowing blade." Sango said, drawing out a Band-Aid from Kagome's bag.

"I don't think a Band-Aid will help." Kagome said as Inuyasha shrugged out of his red robes grudgingly.

"I'm sorry for Takeya. He tends to be very vicious, but I will punish him for hurting you." Nori said. "Can I see your wound?"

"Don't come near me-" Inuyasha started, but Sango cracked him on the head with her fist and he shut up.

"Sure." Kagome said. "I can't do much for him besides wrap it up."

"I think I may be able to help. It's the least I could do." Nori assured her. 

"Hey- what are ya doing!" Inuyasha cried weakly as Nori put her hands on his deep wound. Blood pooled over her fingers.

"Poisoned." She said. "I can't do anything to help. And wrapping it would kill him faster." She stood up. 

"You mean-" Kagome started, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I can't do anything, but I know someone who can." Nori smirked. "I highly doubt your friend will die. Orino, could you come here?" she asked.

A beautiful demon-spirit appeared, shimmering in the air beside Sango.

"Gayh!" she yelped, jumping away.

"Oh, don't worry, this is Orino. She's not going to hurt you." Nori assured her.

"Who is wounded, Nori-sama?" Orino asked.

"That hanyou there." Nori said, pointing at Inuyasha. "It was Takeya's poisoned katana."

"I see. Good thing you asked." And without another word, Orino sat beside Inuyasha and put her pale hands over his gash. Points of light clustered about Orino's fingers and enter Inuyasha's body. Everyone, save for Nori and Orino, turned away and closed their eyes against the brilliant burst of light that ended the healing. When the light had subsided, Inuyasha's arm was totally healed.

"Thank you, Orino." Nori said.

"You're welcome, Nori-sama." Orino answered, then she vanished in a puff of lavender smoke that smelled of lilacs. 

"Inuyasha! Are you alright?" Shippou asked, running up to the shocked Inuyasha.

"Feh. What was that all about, Nori?" Inuyasha asked, ignoring Shippou and putting stress on the girl's name.

"What do you mean?" Nori asked, puzzled.

"What cheap trick is this? Cutting me up then healing me? it's a bunch of crap." Inuyasha said. _'How in the hell does this little girl have the power to summon demons, and why do they listen to her?' _he thought angrily.

"Hey- where's Miroku?" Sango suddenly asked, partially in worry, partially trying to cover up Inuyasha's insufferable rudeness. 

"Yeah, he didn't show up after the attack." Shippou said. "But the fire is still burning."

"He was just sitting there like the lazy hentai he is. He probably got killed." Inuyasha said indifferently.

"No." Nori said firmly. "My demons don't kill unless I give the order. They saw all of you gearing up to attack, assumed I was in immediate danger and attacked against my will."

"Feh. Yeah right." Inuyasha said.

"Fine! I'll just ask Dai, the leader of my demons. She will know if this Miroku was wounded and where he fled to, or who to ask about his whereabouts." Nori snapped.

"Fine then. You ask your demons and I'll trust my nose. I'll find him first though." Inuyasha snapped back.

"Care to wager on that?" Nori countered, scowling evilly. "Dai? A word with you?"

Another demon-woman appeared before them, wearing the clothing of an exterminator. She looked exactly like Sango, except instead of pink, blue was her second color. She had a large spear laced across her back and the katana of a kunoichi. 

"Yes Nori-sama?" Dai asked.

"When you attacked, was there a monk-" Nori stopped and looked at Kagome. "I'm sorry, I don't know what he looks like. Would you mind telling Dai?"

"No problem." Kagome answered, blushing. She rattled off an accurate description of the monk, right down to the covered Kazaana in his right hand. When she mentioned that, Dai's eyes narrowed and she nodded.

"I saw this monk of yours. He never left that spot." She pointed by the fire. "But I could tell something was amiss in his demeanor. I lost sight of him for a moment and in that time he may have fled. Did something happen that may have ruined his countenance?" Dai asked gently.

__

'Come to think on it, he was acting pretty hurt lately and he didn't speak much, but I don't remember doing anything to him. Could it be something with the Wind Tunnel? Or is there something wrong inside of him?' Kagome thought. _'What ever it is, I hope he's not gone and done anything stupid. He has a tendency to do that.'_

TBC

What happens to Miroku? Does anyone care? Flames are accepted cause I know it sucks. In fact I think I'll go flame myself. Yes, I like that idea.

Well, the numbers. ^_^

Kilala is the cat thing that Sango has. I don't know if that's really her name, so if you know please tell me. Boomerang- what is it called really? Help accepted. Is that really what he says? What is Kilala or whatever her name is really? 

Takeya, the demon that hurt Inuyasha, and Orino, the healer, and Dai, the leader and the rest that have yet to be mentioned will eventually be explained. The names are Japanese and have subsequent meanings.


	2. Chapter Two: Nori

OMG I actually got reviews!!!! ^_^ Lotsa thanks to Kitai Matsuru for reviewing the first part and answering my questions and thanks to jack too! ^_^ 

Since I now know Kilala is right in the stupid dubbed version I'm just going to keep it that way- I don't have the patience to change it and re-upload. Sorry!

I think I'll keep it as American as I can, so since Inuyasha's whole "war cry" is okay, I'll leave it that way too.

Now I have the right name for Sango's boomerang!! The Hiraikotsu!! Thanks a million Kitai Matsuru!!!

Okay- now part two! Please review- you know I want you too!!! XD 

Glass House

"Feel like everybody's always watchin'; one little slip gets people talking."

"Miroku! Miroku! MIROKU!" Kagome screamed into the forest surrounding the camp site. Nori still sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing, talking to that demon she called Dai. _'Okay, this is getting way scary way fast.' _Kagome thought, casting a glance at the demon.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was busy sniffing out the area, searching for a whiff of the monk. _'Knowing that hentai monk as I do, I'd say he's off somewhere fu-' _But that little thought was cut off by an unearthly screech.

"CHIKUSO!" Nori screeched. "WHATDAYA MEAN-?!?!"

"I'm sorry Nori-sama, but that's what I saw." Dai said patiently.

"You've got to be wrong." Nori said, shaking her head.

"What is it, Nori?" Kagome asked, running over to the girl. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something's wrong. Dai says she knows where the monk is, but it's not anywhere good." 

"What do you mean, no where good?" Sango demanded. "Where the HELL is Miroku?" (her patience was running thin, can'tya tell?) 

"He left, that is true, but there was something happening in him as he left. All I can say is that someone was controlling his mind. A demon, not a human- someone with immense power and many shards of the Shikon no Tama."

"_Naraku._" Inuyasha growled. "He went far enough trying to kill me fifty years ago and killing Kikyo, I'm not letting that bastard hurt us again."

"Dai talked to the others, and they sensed a lot of evil, and they could feel the evil, but powerful aura of a demon."

"I'm going to get him!" Inuyasha said, standing and reaching for the tetsusaiga.

"No, don't go quite yet, we need a plan. You have no leads or ways to find Naraku." Kagome pointed out, but Inuyasha got up and leapt into the air, attempting to make his escape. 

"As much as I hate to do this, OSWARI!" Kagome yelped.

"Jigoku!" Inuyasha yelled as he was thrown about eight feet into the ground. "o-ou-ouch." He muttered feebly from the ground.

Everyone else _would _have stifled giggles at the dog-demon's weak moan, but Kagome's face was twisted in an angry scowl, Sango was worried out of her mind over the perverted monk, and Shippou was to busy listening to Nori and Dai. 

"That's what you get, baka!" Kagome shouted at Inuyasha's flat form.

Nori looked at them, then looked at Dai helplessly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Someday they're going to kill one another if they keep at it like that." Nori whispered to Dai. 

"Do you really think their relationship is just friends, Nori-sama?" Dai asked, smirking.

"I think that's what they want everyone to think." Nori answered, looking at the two, Inuyasha sitting up shakily and rubbing his throbbing head and spitting out dirt and grass and Kagome screaming at him wildly.

"Awe- It's so cute." Dai answered with a smile.

"Yes- remind me to talk to Sakura and Tamika, our resident matchmakers. We need to get those two together. It'll be nice to see a woman in charge for once."

"Yeah- though it'll lighten your own relationship someday, Nori-sama."

"Relationship? Hah! Dai- did you get into Takeya's spirits again?" Nori laughed.

"I don't know, Nori-sama…" Dai smirked.

"Alright- back onto the point of my summoning you. We need to find the wayward monk." Nori said, going all business, partially to stop the time they were wasting, but mainly because she didn't like where the conversation was going. "I think-"

"Might I interrupt, Nori-sama, Dai-san?" 

"Oh, Sakura, what is it? Why did you come out?" Dai asked with an angry edge to her voice.

"I think I know where the Demon has taken the monk. And I have an idea of how to rescue him." Sakura answered.

"Well, start talking!" Dai said impatiently. 

"I think we need to have a meeting of the People to discus what we ought to do, Nori-sama. Everyone worked to think something up and everyone has an idea." Sakura stated. "Everyone has a part in my plan to save the monk."

"Why everyone? Why is this so important?" Nori asked the little youkai.

"I don't know, but the demon who captured him was powerful and has something against Inuyasha-san." Sakura said, bowing her head.

"Okay then, I'll summon everyone- after I alert the others. I highly doubt they're used to this kind of--"

"_Display_." Dai finished.

"Yes, perfect, thank you Dai." Nori smiled, then turned to Inuyasha who was getting severe "sit" abuse from Kagome and Sango, who was sitting very moodily and staring off into the forest at nothing in particular, while Kilala rubbed against her legs in a comforting way.

"Um- everyone?" nothing happened. "Um- everyone?" she tried again, louder. Still they all ignored her. "EVERYONE LISTEN TO ME!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. Everyone froze and stared at her and the birds quickly evacuated the trees. "Oops- sorry." She blushed. "My demons have an idea to save the monk you're all so worried about. So I'm going to summon them- if you don't mind- and I'd appreciate it if you'd all sit down before I summon them?"

Nori closed her eyes and POOF! In a flash of bright light a demon army appeared behind her. 

"There we go. Okay, maybe I should do introductions…" she nodded to the demons.

"I'm Hiromi." Said a female demon dressed in silvery shrouds with long black hair wound up in a complicated bun. "I am a daredevil- or at least- that's what everyone else tells me." she smirked and Sango could see two throwing daggers wound in her hair.

"Maybe it's a good thing Miroku's not here." Inuyasha whispered to Kagome. "I bet they wouldn't be to willing to help us after he asked everyone of them to bear his child." Kagome blushed a fiery red and turned back to the humanlike demons.

"I am Kioko. I am a priestess and a healer." This next demon was dressed in blue and her black hair was long and trailed down her back.

"I'm Mariko." A female demon dressed in yellow whispered, the halo on her head softly shedding rays of light.

"I am Yoshi." A green-cloaked demon said nonchalantly. "I fight." He shrugged. "I'm the best archer in this army-"

"Besides me." a tall female demon also wearing a green cloak cut in. "I am Miki, Yoshi's kid sister."

"I am Tora." A young, lean girl with lanky limbs and an orange and black dress said, with her eyes narrowed and anger flavoring her every word. "I am a spy- stealth is my game- and I fight to the death." Then she smiled, showing pointed canine teeth. "But I also like to make friends. Their predators are my prey."

"I'm Amaya. I travel by night and can see clearly in the dark." Amaya was wearing all black and even had black eyes. 

"I am Tamika and I speak in tongues. The three over there meditating are Zen, Kei, and Kami, a leader of religion. And this is Shizu- she's a mute so don't expect much conversation from her- and her brother Kiyoshi who also doesn't speak much." Shizu was dressed all in white, her skin was white as well, but her eyes and hair were raven black. Kiyoshi wore blue. Zen, Kei and Kami were dressed like Miroku, except the girls' robes had more shape. All three held staffs.

"I didn't know girls could become monks." Inuyasha said.

"They aren't monks, they're just infused with the power of the monks." Tamika said haughtily. 

"I am Koto." A woman dressed in silvery white robes said softly, holding a golden harp in one hand. 

"And I am her sister, Kimi." A demon in shimmering gold said gently.

"And I am their sister too. My name's Ishi." Ishi wore shimmering bronze robes. 

"That's it." Dai said simply. 

"I'm Inuyasha." Inu said grumpily.

"A hanyou?!?" Hiromi squealed. "I've never met a hanyou before!" she gave him a dimpled smile.

"I'm Kagome. Hey- where's Shippou?"

"Over here!" they turned to see the little kitsune being praised and adored by several of the female demon warriors.

"Oh brother." Kagome muttered. 

"Um-" a soft male voice started. The crowd of demons parted and a blue demon with a sword sheathed on his right stepped forward. "My name is Takeya and I hurt you and I'm sorry I was just trying to protect Nori-sama." He said quickly, all in one breath.

"It's okay." Kagome said to the demon. "Orino healed Inuyasha's arm."

"Good!" the demon said, relieved.

"That don't mean I'm okay with you!" Inuyasha cried, standing up and reaching for his tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. "Stop it before I kill you!"

"Feh. I'd like to see you try." He replied.

"Fine- I couldn't kill you. But remember, by best friend is a taijiya!"

"Someday someone will best me, but it won't be a human!" Inuyasha snapped back, pissed off that Kagome would actually doubt his strength so much that he thought a girl could defeat him.

"I see that look in your eyes Inuyasha! Don't be so unbelieving!" Kagome cried in warning.

"Feh. Ursai Kagome." Inuyasha answered.

"Fine, then I'll just SIT-" CRASH! "-down here and wait for you to come to your senses." Inuyasha stood back up and glared at Kagome. "When you do, maybe we can SIT-" CRASH! "-down and discuss our differences like normal humans and half-humans, that is if you can SIT-" CRASH! "-through all the discussion. If you can't, then we won't SIT-" CRASH! "and talk, instead we'll-"

"OKAY, OKAY I GET THE POINT! YAMERO!" Inuyasha cried, standing up and practically begging her to stop.

"Fine. I'll stop." Kagome answered, crossing her arms.

"Do they do that often?" Kimi whispered to Dai.

"Not that, no." Dai responded.

"Good, 'cause that crashing was really staring to give me a headache."

TBC

Okay, the demon's names have meanings that I think I'm going to give right now, okay?

****

Male-

Takeya- warrior

Kiyoshi- Quiet Child

Yoshi- better, best

Zen- Religious meditation

****

Female-

Dai- Great

Hiromi- Wild and beautiful

Ishi- Rock

Kami- Divine

Kei- Reverent

Kimi- She who is without equal

Kioko- Meets world with happiness

Koto- harp

Mariko- Circle of light

Miki- flower stalk

Orino- workman's meadow

Sakura- cherry blossom

Shizu- silent

Tamika- child of the people

Tora- tiger

****

~~~Nori-Belief**~~~**

Now the question- should I go to Miroku's whereabouts next chapter or no? vote now or… um… never mind. Just tell me, huh?

And does anyone want a little Japanese/English dictionary or not? 

Come on, press the little review button. If you don't I will send all the evil demons after you!!! Mwahaw! 

Better now, sorry.


	3. Chapter Three: Bait

No reviews. I'm so depressed. L But that's very much okay!! I'm still gunna write! 

Disclaimer: the word says it all. 

This is the Miroku-centered part. 

I'm thinking about lemon later. Any ideas? Sango/Miroku fer sure, but does anyone want any Inu/Kagome? *smirks evilly*

The chapter title might actually make sense with the chapter title! *Alleluia!!* 

Glass House

"So many unkind words are spoken- You see my heart is hurting, but it's still open."

Miroku shifted on the cold stone floor of his prison. His hands were cold and wet with his sweat, or maybe it was his blood, he had no way of knowing. Was it night or day? How long had it been since his capture? It could have been hours or years; each minute stretched on interminably. He raised his bowed head, his face was caked with mud and blood from a gash across his cheek. His robes were half torn away from the beatings and his vision was already blurring.

_'How did I get here again? Why didn't I fight and why do I submit to this torture time and time again?'_

Sango.

The names resounded through the shell of his head.

Sango.

It danced through the recesses of his mind, and jumped into his consciousness.

__

'Because of Sango I am here.' The thought sliced him like a knife, and red hot anger flowed with the blood in his veins. _'No,'_ he corrected himself. _'Because of Naraku I am here. Wow, that's original. It's a third, or maybe a fourth? It's not to be unexpected. That bastard wants to kill Inuyasha and Kagome so bad, Sango and I are both in danger. No, Sango **was** in danger. Not any more. So much for a 'selfish hentai'. If Inuyasha could see me now, and know what I did for them… but he'll never know. He won't care, not even a little. What good was I to them or anyone else? Sango will be happy I'm gone. Come to think on it, the only one who might really miss me would be Shippou, and his heart is so large he could never be as cruel as the others. Or could he?'_

The click of the door broke his chain of thought.

"Enjoying your stay, houshi?" Naraku drawled from the doorway. Suddenly he was standing beside Miroku, his baboon skin covering his whole body. "You want to know what I hear, Miroku?" he said, in a teasing tone.

Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but his throat and mouth were to dry to form the words.

"I hear laughter and celebrating. I hear joy and love. I hear voices, do you want to know what the voices are saying? Hmm, I suppose you know what the voices are saying, don't you, monk? But I can't just hear, I can also see. Do you know what I see, monk? I see starlight and moonlight falling of the group of people you once called your friends. I see Inuyasha and Kagome talking in the light, I see them, worn out from their celebration. Do they care you are missing? No, they are celebrating. I see Sango-" Miroku's mouth went dryer and he felt weaker then before. "-she's with another man, Miroku. And she is speaking- saying "I can't believe that stupid hentai actually believed I liked him." That's what she's saying. But Miroku, I can also feel, and do you know what I feel right now? Well, I can feel your anger, your sorrow, your fear, and your pain. But do you know what else I feel? I also feel myself smile at your predicament. Have fun in the darkness. Don't worry, soon you will be eternally in bright lights- in the fires of Hell." And Naraku was gone.

Tears fought to leave Miroku's eyes. _'He- he- that bastard- I- he must be- no, Sango-' _he could feel himself growing weaker and unconsciousness coming like an ominous cloud of Death. 

Words flew through his mind like Kagome's arrows, piercing him in his heart.

_"Shin-e Miroku!"_

"Yarou!"

"Ursai, Miroku. No one cares."

"No one cares about you."

"Yamero!"

"Just go away, Miroku. Haven't you done enough?" 

"Love you? Zettai."

"Damn you Miroku."

"Stupid!"

__

'I gave up everything for you, but no one cares, do they? You degraded me and beat me down into the dust, and all I ever wanted was to be your friend, and to protect you! But all I could do is make mistakes. I can't last much longer- at least I can still fulfil one of your wishes- I'll die and you will never need to see me again.'

He began to slip into the blackness of unconsciousness, but instead fell into a deep but troubled sleep.

**DREAM**

__

Sango stood in front of him, her Hiraikotsu in her hand, and the transformed Kilala next to her. 

"Sango!" he was calling, but making no sound. "Forgive me!" 

Her eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand to point at him.

"No Miroku! You have gone too far and you have made to many mistakes. I will never forgive you. Rot in hell, Miroku!"

"But Sango!" his voice was lost in a torment of rushing blackness.

"It is to late to redeem your soul, Miroku!" a second voice cried out.

"Kagome?"

"You betrayed us all! You perverted monk! You betrayed us with your lies!" she notched an arrow in her bow and aimed it at his heart.

"Miroku! How could you!" Shippou cried, tears filling his eyes as he turned away, and walked into darkness.

"Shippou!" Miroku cried after him. The little fox-demon turned to look at him, slowly and mournfully. "You're the only one-!"

"How could I defend someone who betrayed my friends? Goodbye Miroku." Shippou walked into shadows, his body dissolving into nothingness.

"Shippou!"

"Feh. You really are pathetic, monk. You believed we were your friends, that we would help you. But you're all wrong. We played you for a fool, Miroku, gave you everything but nothing. So that when you betrayed us we could get our revenge." Inuyasha sneered to Miroku, drawing his tetsusaiga. 

Sango walked to him, and bent to kiss his lips gently. 

"We will give you your one wish. We will rid you of the curses wind tunnel in your hand." Sango said, softly, her voice glazed with malice.

"Naraku's curses do not last after death!" Inuyasha cried triumphantly.

Kagome's arrow struck him in the heart.

Inuyasha's slash ripped across his middle.

Kilala's claws ripped across his chest. 

Sango's dagger went through his shoulder.

He lay, drowning in his own blood, and looked up at Sango's face.

She drew her katana and brought it above her head, driving it down-

**END DREAM**

Miroku woke in a cold sweat, tears falling down his face to mingle with his blood.

_'Why do they torment me so, even in my dreams? Why do I cry for what I have lost, if I have lost nothing at all? They have betrayed me! I refused to fight that Sango might be spared, but she would end my life! Oh what am I thinking- that was a dream… but it was all so real, so like them.'_

'How could I ever trust them again? Or, more importantly, how could they ever trust me again?'

Miroku stayed up the rest of the night, pondering his dream, what Naraku had told him, and how they'd been treating him these past few weeks. Treating him like an outcast, unwanted, vermin. 

Blood stained the ground on which he lay- the blood he'd lost to save his friends- tainted black over the years by his hate and his love. His heart lay broken, in shatters in the recesses of his soul, and there was nothing to do but die. 

The cold black kiss of death overwhelmed him, and when the black void of unconsciousness opened under him, he succumbed to its pull. 

He lay, passed out and limp, on the floor of Naraku's dungeon.

"Wow, that took long enough. This is one damn tough monk I'm dealing with right here. Ah, well, Kohaku?"

"Hai?"

"Watch for the others while I tend to the monk. Can't have our bait up and die on us, can we now?"

TBC

My endings suck. :P oh well, I try, the whole cliffy thing isn't working at the moment.

The whole "you know what I hear" thing I kinda borrowed from "The Ten Commandments" 'cept mine was different and… yeah.

I'm being so mean to Miroku, ne?

Now go review!!!! Pleeeeeease? 


	4. Chapter Four: Emotions

Disclaimer: I hate these. My shrink says they lower self esteem. ^_^

No reviews- to be expected- I just posted the other one two minutes ago. Doi doi doi! 

We're back to Inu and company! Smile for the camera!

Glass House

"I have no other choice but to let you see, so…"

Silence by the campfire. Ah, how peaceful, how serene…

… unless of course the silence is brought about by everyone sitting around said fire having an incredible guilt trip without knowing why and without telling anyone else what they did and having the weight of their "mistakes" mean someone's life- being gone. In these situations, it's best to know how to run, (Very. Very. Fast.) and know directions (away. From. Civilization.). 

"So, um… it's nice to here the sounds of the forest again- usually all we could hear is arguing." Shippou pointed out, and was this rewarded with three killer death glares.

(Note to self: when everyone is on a guilt trip they are overly hostile and do not care about what you may notice.)

"I was just trying to be happy! You're all so dismal!" he defended himself.

(Defending yourself in a crowd of pissed-off humans (and half humans) when they are twenty-six times your size- not smart.)

"Fine." He snapped when he got more death glares. Silence pervaded again.

"Sango, what's wrong?" Kagome asked, putting her hand on her friend's arm.

"Nothing." Sango snapped back. Inuyasha and Nori watched the exchange with wary eyes. 

"Then why are you crying?" Kagome persisted.

"I'm NOT!"

"Then don't be so defensive about it! You're worried about Miroku, aren't you." It was more a statement then a question. Sango visibly stiffened.

"I'm just- I- wonder why- I mean he didn't- he wasn't-" she stopped short and stared down at her hands. 

"Sango, are you thinking that maybe Miroku's disappearance is your fault?" Kagome asked. 

"I sense a lot of that going around tonight." Nori mumbled.

"Whatdya say?" Inuyasha barked at her in a rather hostile fashion. 

"I said that I think Sango's not the only one feeling the blame for Miroku's state of missingness."

"'Missingness' Is that a word?" Kagome laughed uneasily.

"I don't think so, but it comes to the point, doesn't it?" Nori answered. "I think Sango's not th-"

"I'm not feeling guilty!" Sango blurted out. "Ya wanna know what I'm feeling? I am feeling ashamed, jealous, angered, vicious, sad, hurt and dead. I am feeling pain, torment, death and sorrow. But guilty? I think not!"

__

'That worked well.' Nori thought.

"Sango-" Kagome began, but Sango interrupted. 

"Wanna know why? I know you'll be pushing for that any minute. I know that you'll want to know why I feel like I do. I feel ashamed because the other day- Miroku and I- alone in the woods- I tripped- temper short- he grabbed my arm- kept me from falling- and pushed him away and called him a- bastard- and hentai- and said- I hated him- and that if he ever touched me again- I'd kill him- but I knew that not- that'd kill him too- I know how he feels but I was too hard-hearted to care!"

"Sango-" Inuyasha started.

"Shut up and let me finish! I feel angered that I couldn't keep my anger and temper in check! I feel vicious because I want nothing more then to kill that son of a bitch Naraku! I want to annihilate him, make him suffer and die! I want to watch him die! I am sad Miroku is gone- I'm sad I hurt him- like I hurt all of you… I'm hurt that he wouldn't talk to me- but I know he won't because of what I did! I'm afraid I've lost him! I'm dead because he is, and I just want to be with him, to say I'm sorry! I feel pain for him, for every word I said, cause I didn't mean what I said but he thinks I did! I am tormented that he may never know how sorry I am and that I didn't mean it! I already have lost all hope- I just know he's dead and there is no hope for me!" she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into her lap. 

"Sango-" Kagome whispered, wishing she could do something to help her, but there was nothing she could do but sit next to her.

"I know how you feel Sango." Inuyasha whispered. "I kinda chewed him out too, I mean, I was worse then you were."

"I wasn't exactly nice to him either." Kagome said softly. "When I was done yelling at him- I was already irritated with Inuyasha- he ran off into the woods, and didn't say a word, except for that 'Hai' he gave Sango, and then the attack and he was gone."

"So none of us apologized, eh?" Sango whispered, her tears stopping slowly.

"No, and I doubt that him thinking we hate him is going to help in whatever battle he may have to face a prisoner." Kagome whispered.

"You guys just have to keep that inside." Nori spoke.

"What?! I thought you're supposed to talk rather then keep things bottled up inside!" Kagome yelled.

"You told everyone the bare minimum, but there is always more you don't even want yourself to know. Save your sorrows, they give you strength tomorrow- keep your angers- they lead you into battle- remember your grudges and your pain; they bring you to victory. You have to avenge him, be he dead or alive- or you will never be the same and you will never know."

"If that's the only way to get Miroku's soul back, then I'm up for a fight!" Inuyasha proclaimed, the tetsusaiga already ready for battle. 

"I'm willing to fight for Miroku!" Kagome cried.

"Miroku!" Shippou cried from where he had sat silently listening to his friends.

"I will fight for Miroku- but Inuyasha- let me fight Naraku with you. I want to kill that bastard, but your grudge runs deeper then mine, so I just want to torture him." Sango said, slowly and coldly. "I want to avenge for Miroku." 

"I-" Inuyasha began.

__

'**She** wants to torture Naraku too? Oh well, I suppose it always could be worse… At least she understands how deep my grudge is… Chikuso! I hate decisions like this….' 

"I guess, sure-" Inuyasha started.

"Arigato, Inuyasha." Sango's reply was just as cold as her previous statement had been. 

"Well- the first step would be to fine where the monk is." Nori started, eyes darting from one person to the others. 

"Ano…" Kagome started. "We know he lives in a castle, I mean wouldn't that make sense?" 

"Feh- it's not that simple!" Inuyasha snapped. "If it were, he'd be dead and Miroku would be sittin' next to Sango right now doing kami-sama knows what…"

"Nani?!" Sango cried, blushing a deep shade of red.

"Maybe Kagome can try to find the jewels…" Shippou suggested.

"Iie, cause the jewels are to far away for her to sense." Nori pointed out. "But maybe Zen, Kei, and Kami can search for the shouki of Naraku- you never know- they are powerful and the aura is powerful Dark magic, so…"

"That might work!" Shippou squealed. 

"Demo-" Inuyasha started, but Kagome not-so-discreetly cracked him over the head. "Itai! What's that for?!?!" he yelped.

"For not cooperating!" Kagome yelled back. "I'm in a bad mood- can'tcya tell- so DON'T GET ON MY BAD SIDE!!"

"Um, Shippou- is she always in such a bad mood?" Mori whispered to Shippou.

"No." Shippou said, nonchalantly.

"Praise kami-sama for that!" she replied. 

Zen, Kei and Kami appeared beside her, and she quickly filled them in on what they had to do. When she was done, she had a soft conversation with the little fox-child, and the demons watched the odd party with wide eyes. 

"Wow, that dog-eared hanyou is sure getting a beating from the miko." Zen said softly to the others.

"I don't think she's a miko, Zen." Kei said. "She doesn't have the aura of one, at least not a known miko."

"Maybe she's the daughter of one and inherited some of her mother's powers, cause I definitely sense some power in her." Zen responded.

"No, I really don't think so, though you may be right." Kei said. "Now, we better start searching for this demon they want."

"Hai." Zen answered. The three demons closed their eyes and searched for the demon's presence.

"Wow- that took them long enough." Nori noted, pointing at the three.

"Who are they, or were they- I mean they don't look like the demons we usually fight."

"Have you ever met a good demon?" Shippou shook his head. "Well, these demons aren't really demons, but it's easier to call them that. Unlike other demons, these have kept their human qualities. This is because I revived them- a great raid came unto a small village, and to protect the souls of the powerful people there, I brought them back and gave them bodies again, and gave them the qualities of the Dead. They serve me because I revived them."

"Oh, so they aren't really demons?" Shippou asked.

"Yeah, something like that." Nori answered. "Get it?"

"Yep!" Shippou answered cheerfully.

__

'I'm lying to a girl with demons at her beck and call who could kill me in any moment very convincingly so if it ever came to depend on me as the only one who knows sides her and them I wouldn't know at all- she'd find out and kill me. Um…oops?' 

TBC…

My endings suck!!!

Okay, here's a Japanese/English dictionary of words I've used up to this point:

Daijoubu- Are you okay? -or- I'm fine (depending on how it's asked)

Houshi- Monk

Iie- No

Oswari- Sit, dog style (go figure) 

Hanyou- half demon

Gomen- I'm sorry

Katana- Japanese samurai styled sword

Hentai- pervert

Kunoichi- female ninja(!) ((go Dai!))

Kazaana- Wind tunnel (air rip) in Miroku's right hand. If you don't know this one…

Chikuso- Dammit

-sama- very high respect

Shikon no Tama- the Jewel of Four Souls (the Shikon jewel for the Americans ^_^)

Jigoku- hell

Baka- idiot/stupid/moron (if you don't know this one you're definitely a baka)

-san- polite and formal, used for someone at the same position as you or higher.

Kitsune- fox

Taijiya- demon exterminator/ hunter (Sango)

Youkai- demon (really 'bewitching apparition')

Ursai- shut up

Yamero- Stop it

Shin-e- die

Yarou- bastard

Zettai- never

Hai- yes

Arigato- thank you

Ano- well

Demo- But

Itai- Owch

Kami- God or high deity

Nani- what

Shouki- aura given off by a demon

Miko- priestess 


	5. Chapter Five: Miroku

Disclaimer: I laugh in the face of evil MWAHAW!

So, Kaylana reviewed and said she liked bishounen torture. Well- I'm happy to make her happy! More Miroku!!! Oh- and congrats on the new computer! 

Speaking of which, I need ideas- so please take not on the things I'll write at the bottom!!! Thanks in advance! ^_^

Glass House

"Come on in cause I know I can take it- you can throw those stones- even though I may be fragile, you're not gonna see me shatter."

--------- Miroku's Narrative (POV) -----------

I laid sprawled out across the stone floor of my prison, feeling generally weaker then before. 

_Click._

The sound broke through my subconscious barrier against all sorts of sound. I could feel myself, the great houshi, (well, not-so-great, but still,) moan weakly. I tried to stand, but a shot of pain firing through my head and up my legs and back assured me I was going no where any time soon. I was very incapable of standing. Make that moving as a whole. 

The wounds, the blood, the pain and weakness, it's awful, yes, but the worst part is knowing there's nothing I can do about it. This physical torture is almost as bad as the mental torture.

_Almost._

The word was like a prayer to him sometimes… he wouldn't die of the body if he wasn't dead of the mind, at least.

But it was also a curse. Knowing that Naraku was playing with him, and could easily bend him to his will… he'd beaten him into oblivion, yet revived him before he could die. Naraku, he decided, wasn't trying to kill him in his body, he was trying to break his mind and crush his spirit. _He wants me to join him._ The thought was as a cup of cold water rolling down his spine. This was the proverbial game of cat-on-mouse, and he sure as _hell_ was not the cat. He smirked slightly, but gave up- the effort was too much.

"I see you're enjoying your accommodations." Naraku snarled. Miroku visibly stiffened and slowly lifted his head to see Naraku, in the baboon-skin glory of a blood thirsty demon before the kill.

_'What kill?' _He thought. _'If I refuse to let him best me, he will have no victory over me. He will have no victory over me.'_

"This can all stop right now." Naraku started, walking around in front of me without a kind overtone. Yet he made no move to hide his whip. "Just join me, houshi called Miroku, and you can become powerful and get your revenge.

Revenge? That sounded really good. I couldn't stop myself- I had to think this one over. I could join Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou's arch enemy, be freed of my curse, become very powerful _and _live. I could have Sango if I wanted! Sango- I can't help but stop as I think of her. Naraku killed her family and has control over her brother and killed her whole village to top it all off! He deceived her and nearly killed her, not to mention taunts her even now. I remember the nights before I left- I could hear her silent crying… dammit why couldn't I just comfort her then? This all might be different… but I didn't, no use dwelling on the past when I can dwell on the present. But I could get my revenge and my freedom- the two things I really wanted… Or did I really want them? I didn't really want revenge, I realized, I wanted my freedom, yes, but I also wanted Sango, and kami-sama knows how hard that was for me to admit to myself.

"Well?" he asked.

"I-" I started, thinking wildly. What to do, what to do… 

"I know what stays your choice, the taijiya girl, ne?" he taunted. "It's not as if she could ever love _you_. She's a bitch, a slut, and a whore. Who knows who's taken her already? You can get your revenge on her too, just call me Naraku-sama and we will avenge your past!" 

I can't say I didn't feel possessive about Sango at that moment. I was angry, no furious at Naraku for even _suggesting_ such things about my Sango. My Sango? Okay, that's going a little far, especially since she wants me dead, but no matter what that was still cruel and she still is _my_ friend, even if I'm not hers. 

I stood slowly, looking warily at Naraku. And this was no easy feat.

"That struck home, eh? Well, you should be proud you can stand, because you shouldn't be able to. You're just to weak to take the pain." He snarled.

So, he wants me to join him, yet he insults me and my friends.

Then it struck me like a ton of bricks, headache and all.

He was trying to get me mad and evil and all that crap so that I would taint the Shikon no Tama in my possession- that is if I still had my shards. 

Um… yep, still got them. I guess there's a level limit to how many shards you can taint. Or maybe he wanted to see if I'd do it.

So I couldn't kill him. Or think evil thoughts. 

So I do the only thing a person in my situation could do. 

I kicked him. Really really hard. Where it mattered. He winced and bent over in pain. Naraku-_sama_ is out for the count! Hey, these sandals are good for something! I guess he didn't see that coming, or he would have moved aside or blocked it just as easily. (I'm half dead here- how hard could it be?) But that's the problem to being an abnormally powerful demon. You have no idea of the strength and will of the human mind. I can't help but grin smugly. 

Uh-oh, he's standing up now, and I really don't like that look he's giving me. He's got a very piercing stare. And I'm just the handsome, cute, ever-so-loved houshi, at whom said youkai is very pissed.

Um… help?

"Kisama…" Naraku growls, lunging at my pathetically weak body. I clamp my eyes shut for the impact, but apparently fate or my extensive state of injuries was on my side, cause I fell to the side in weakness as he dove at me.

Naraku let out a strangled cry of shock and horror as he flew over me, hardly expecting luck would work a second time. He landed on the ground a few feet away, swearing like Inuyasha the whole way. 

Yep, I meant to do they, yessir, sure did, yep.

He's standing up now, I can see him through the sides of my eyelids. I try to stand, but lady luck has left. Lady? Where? Okay, back now… either I'm getting much weaker or I'm going mad. Schizophrenic most likely. I'm talking to myself for cripes sake.

Well, I was so busy worrying about what was wrong with my mind and naming the other parts of myself that I didn't notice Naraku's fist until the little stars began to sing in my eyes. 

Whee! Look at the stars! They look so happy-ful, like that cot-ten can-dy Kagome brought for us to try, that made us all crazy and happy, even sour Inuyasha. It was yummy and sweet and sugary and…

Eiww, what's that taste in my mouth? It's not cot-ten can-dy; it's metallic and it tastes all rusty and nasty, but it's filling my mouth and it won't go away! It takes me a full minute to gather my wits about me enough to know that it was my own blood that I was tasting. 

I glower up at Naraku, feeling my strength returning, or maybe it was my bloodlust strength coming for the first time. Inuyasha got his bloodlust all the time in battle, partially because he got wounded all the time and needed his anger to fuel him onto battle. I never got wounded, or at least I didn't get wounded and get a bloodlust from it. I guess it didn't come to me cause I'd never needed it before, but now I did.

I try to stand up again, but the room spins wildly before me. I think I'm going to be sick…

I here the whistle of the whip before it strikes me, opening a new bright red gash on my back. Numerous others crisscross my skin… no one could ever see them. I sigh at the unfairness, I liked my back. It was pretty before Naraku beat it all up. Some of the cuts are fresh, and others are turning into scars. Several are infected- Naraku's not as good a doctor as he is a demon.

My robes are half torn away now, from the constancy of Naraku's angry blows against me. Parts of it have been made into crude bandages. I wish for my wind tunnel now- a first- but it was tied firmly from the first, and no hope is there of freeing it, just as there is no hope of freeing me. 

He strikes me again, and I can feel the blood flowing freely down my back.

"Surrender, Houshi Miroku." He commands.

"Zettai!" I answer, proud of my audacity and the fact that I could speak strongly without a squeak. 

"Shin-e Miroku!" he orders with a smile. He raises his whip again- but stops half way to me. I crack open my eyes when the end of the whip glances off my skin.

"Nani?" I murmur, watching him warily. He swears profusely.

"I forgot- I can't kill you. Damn order!" he spins on his heel and faces the wall angrily. 

Then I found the strength to stand up, somehow. Maybe the idea that he couldn't kill me spurred me on. I stood, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned and I smacked him full in the face.

::CRACK::

"Touch me again, youkai…" I warned, smiling inside my mind. I was taking a stand!

I think he knew it was useless to attack me, as I wouldn't care, but he also had to wait for me to attack, just in case I decided too. Now who's calling the shots? Go Miroku, go Miroku…

And so we stood at a standstill, me glaring at him, and him glaring at me. Who knows how long it would have lasted if my fatigue and the stress of my new injuries hadn't struck in right at that moment.

Everything started spinning very fast, and the room grew very warm. Whee! Look at the colors! I haven't felt like this since I got drunk in the last village with a major bishoujo. And when I say major, I mean hot, sexy… and I think I'm going to stop now and be a good terrified houshi prisoner and pass out. Yes, that sounds very good.

So I do just that. 

It's either that or get beaten half to death by a youaki. Um, it's not good to run and hide or result to fainting like a helpless girl. It's also not good to let him take some shots, according to Inuyasha, the revenge psycho. That is the rule, he says, unless, of course, you're about to be killed by a pissed off youaki, in which case, faint away, and do so with a grace, finesse, and power. 

Isn't the point of fainting loosing power? Then again, this is Inuyasha's reasoning, and I highly doubt he's totally sane. Or did I say that? Who said that?

I'm staring to think that the fainting didn't work cause I'm still thinking ordinary thoughts. 

Did I say ordinary? 

…Um… oops?

TBC

Sucky ending, the whole thing was kinda funnier cause it's _Miroku_ I mean come on! My bishounen torture sucked big time… I'll think about doing more… ^_^ 

…help?

Please vote on these and offer suggestions:

1: Miroku/Sango

(A) fluff (kissing, sweet talking…)

(B) lemon (create your own toppings)

(C) no Miroku/Sango (icy people!)

2: Inuyasha/Kagome

(A) none!

(B) mild, hand-holding, long "walks"… no real detail

(C) fluff and/or lemon

3: Any Sesshomaru? At all?

4: Any other pairings? Kohaku/Rin? Anything?

5: Kikyo at all?

6: Should Nori have a pair? Should demon relations start, (meaning should they become more important)

7: any other people I should add?

8: IDEAS! IEE! HELP!!

Thanks!

~*~ Demon Darkness Wanderer ~*~

__


	6. Chapter Six: Adoration

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. Cause, as ya'll can tell, my updating skills lack and the series would never end… or when it did some one else would be doing it cause I'd be DEAD. And so would all of you. 

Enough insane ranting, back to the POINT.

Inuyasha got cancelled in my area, so I won't be to exact in everything…

Thanks for the reviews, I feel so special. ^_^ 

O.o doesn't that face look like a fish? I think it does.

Special thanks to Kitai Matsuru, as always. You rock the world!!!!

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed my story. I'm happy to think someone cares. ^_^

Glass House

"Cause I know who I am and I won't fake it - I'm gonna take a stand - It's my faith that keeps me strong - The light is on in my glass house"

------Sango's POV------

I promised myself I wouldn't loose it, and I really tried. Nori kinda hit the nail on the head when she started talking about feeling guilty for Miroku. I really don't love the guy, but I sure do miss him…

I really shouldn't be feeling this way. I am a tajiya and feeling emotions like this… 

Why should I lie anymore. They make me feel weak.

I need to be strong, my job is to be strong, my whole life I have strove to be strong, so why should one man's fate change all that for me? I broke down when I lost my family, when I lost my village, but that wasn't half as bad as having to fight my own brother… but I was strong and rebounded pretty fast…

His captor is probably the same yarou who killed my family and controls my brother. Why don't I feel waves of deep-reaching hate and anger for him… Miroku is a nuisance. He's barely my friend, but instead of anger, I'm afraid for him. This is such a new feeling, I don't understand it at all.

Oh Miroku, I just wish you were right here so I could say how sorry I am. Because I am so, so sorry. 

------Inuyasha's POV-----

We all had our little guilt trips. I'll admit that I had mine too. It's kinda hard being me and I was a little rough on the guy, but still. No reason to get all depressed on us, right?

After Kagome's little sit-spree, needless to say I had a killer headache. I went away from the group to sit in a clearing under the stars. Five nights to the full moon and we have yet to find where Miroku is. I want to get him out, of course I do. I want to kill Naraku, yes I do. I want his shards, of course. I have yet to decide which one I want most, however. 

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" a voice calls from behind me.

"Kagome?" I ask, it's the only one it could be.

"Yeah. What's up?" 

"I'm trying to ease my headache of course," I answer, for lack of anything better to say. If I was treating Miroku so bad he ran off, I better shape up towards Kagome too, cause I actually need her. That seems oddly selfish. Even odder, I _care_.

"I'm sorry," Kagome blushes, sitting down next to me. "Does your head still hurt?"

"Chotto," I reply, for there isn't much else to say.

For a long moment all I can hear is Kagome's breathing, crickets and small bugs calling in the darkness. It's oddly peaceful.

"So, what are you doing out here?" I ask, trying to stay lighthearted. Easier said then done.

"I had to get away from it," she says. "Nori and her demons are busy setting up a camp and doing kami-knows what else, Shippou's asleep and Sango's despondent. I needed to get away where I could breath without feeling guilty."

"Yeah," I reply. "I know the feeling."

It takes me a bit to remember something Miroku told me a long time ago. Something about how much Kagome liked me and looked up to me. Looking over at her I can see she's worried, a little scared, and slightly alone and lost. I was pretty nasty to her, I think the least I can do…

She looks up at me in shock when I grab her hand; I can feel her eyes on me. I pretend not to notice, and she leans towards me a bit, warily. I can't say I blame her; the last time I had any physical contact with her I stole her shards and shoved her in a well, but can't I have real intents too?

We just sit in silence for a long time, staring at the moon hanging brightly, and almost full, in the skies. I wonder if she realizes the moon will be full in a few days, then I wonder if she's thinking anything at all. Soon I stop my thinking, it's so much more peaceful when I don't think of anything at all. 

For the longest time, I actually forgot all our problems.

------- Sango's POV -------

Kagome walked off into the woods some time ago, following Inuyasha no doubt. I wonder how long it will take her to realize what he's about and stop hurting herself, then I wonder if, maybe, something is going on out there. It makes me really lonely just to think of it, and that is another new revelation for me. 

Kilala is sleeping by my feet. She's so faithful, so loyal, and such a good friend to me. Kind of pathetic, when a cat is one of your best friends.

"What's wrong, love?" a voice comes from behind me. I spin around to see one of Nori's demons standing behind me. 

"I-ah… who-who are you again?" I ask, feeling foolish and rude, but I was surprised and I don't know what else to say.

"Orino. Don't worry about forgetting me, there are so many of us, and you have only just met me," she replies, a smile crinkling the skin by her eyes. Now I can see how much older she is then the others, for there are long gray strands in her hair.

"Oh, I should have known you. You were the one who healed Inuyasha, right?" I ask, trying desperately to remember the events of the earlier day.

"Yes, I'm pleased you remember me," Orino smiles.

"Well… I have a few questions, if you don't mind," I confess, curiosity pushing past all caution. 

"That's okay," Orino answers, nodding her head.

"Well… first of all, I want to know why you all look like humans while most demons… don't," I say.

"We were killed in a village raid," Orino answers. "We aren't demons, but resurrected humans bound to sure Nori-sama, who saved us. We can die and we age just as humans do."

"Oh. Kay," I answer, totally confused. Then it dawns on me. "You said Nori resurrected you," I say, "but how is she so strong? She's just a child, ten or eleven at the most…"

"That I cannot say," Orino says firmly, and none of my goading can persuade her to say otherwise. 

-------- Inuyasha's POV -------

Kagome fell asleep on my shoulder quite some time ago. I can't say I'm to happy with the arrangement, but she's smiling in her sleep. I'm not going to wake her; it takes her so long to fall asleep.

I can't help but wonder if she's going to be leaving in the middle of this. I know her other life is important to her as well, but we are far away from the Well and she can hardly travel alone, while I don't know who'd take her. It'll be a hard choice to make for all of us, I suspect; take Kagome back or help Miroku, and she has some choices of her own to make. We can hardly beat Naraku without her. I wonder if she knows that, or if she cares. She has such a big heart, she must care about Miroku.

But I can hear her crying sometimes at night, when she thinks no one can hear her. If she wants to go, no one will think less of her. If they do, then I will hurt them. Badly.

"Sit," Kagome murmurs in her sleep. I fly to the ground, and though it isn't as painful as when I go from the air, I'm on top of her. Kami, I hope I didn't hurt her! I stand up quickly and brush the dirt off my robes, but Kagome is still sleeping soundly on the ground. I sigh.

"Wench," I mutter to her sleeping form. "You little wench. You're so cute when your asleep, makes it hard to be mad at you. But you look so sad… Don't worry, Kagome. I'll protect you. I promise. You're not laying any responsibility on me to let you die." I look at her for a long time, then lay down next to her, feeling really, really sleepy for some odd reason. "Ai shiteru," my half-asleep self murmurs to no one in particular. "Ai shiteru."

---------Kagome's POV-------

I wake up to feel Inuyasha on top of me. Needless to say, that brought quite a shock, especially when I thought he didn't like me…

The events of the night are blurred in my mind. I vaguely remember falling asleep on his shoulder, but…

Wait, that position is familiar. I must have "sit"-ed him in my sleep! It's hard to repress a blush, but I somehow manage to and feign sleep. He must be pretty tired, because he can't call my bluff. 

He starts talking to me, thinking I'm asleep.

"Ai shiteru," he says, right before falling asleep next to me. That's all that really registers. Somehow I kind of hope he knew I was awake. 

I curl up next to him, wondering if he'll wonder what happened when he wakes up and finds me asleep by him. He'd probably make up some story just to make it look like it was all me, but it won't matter. We'll both know the truth, and that's enough to keep me strong. 

------- Third Person POV ------

Nori looked over her sleeping demons for a long time, then turned to Sango and Shippou, her new friends. Helping them ought to be enough, just enough to make everything work out her way. Then what was to be said about enemies to her own savior? 

Fingering the sword sheathed to her side, she smiled slightly. This ought to be just enough to get them killed. Then her master could have what he wanted and be free of irritating distractions. 

She smiled to the moon, stars and trees, and allowed herself a slight laugh. Yes, nothing could go wrong now.

-------- TBC -------

Wow, long time, no update!!!

I'm sorry, I tried, I really did!!!!

I'll do my best to update more often, I swear to you!!!

Help is liked much!!!

Help is much liked!!

Much liked is help!!!

Liked much is help!!

Liked much help is!!!

Much liked help is!!

Whatever!!! Just send ideas, corrections, WHATEVER in your reviews!!!!

I don't *like* pestering people to review, but how hard is it to press the little purple button and make me happy? 

Pleeeeeeease?

~*~DSoD~*~ 


	7. Chapter Seven: Interlude

Disclaimer: You know, before fanfiction.net, I didn't truly understand what the purpose of a disclaimer was. What a sheltered childhood I had. '-_-a

More Disclaimer!!: Oh, and credits for the face goes to a friend of mine… who doesn't watch TV. How whacked is that? I think it's crazy. Dude's got a lot of willpower. I couldn't last more then two days without .Hack//sign, or Orphen, or YuYuHakusho, or Inuyasha… none of which I own, coincidentally. Let's just say I brought about 10 hours of Orphen up north on a family vacation… ^^;;;;;;;

A/N: Greetings all, another update in celebration!!- or boredom, whichever.

Well, Inuyasha is back on in this area!!! ^_^ I missed everyone on that show so much!! I lent my tapes … all 6 of them… to a friend we "converted" to the "dark side". *cough* So, in short, I missed Inuyasha's sadistic blushing, Kagome's slightly creepy voice, Miroku's… erm… I missed Miroku, Sango's whacking of Miroku, and Shippou's… over-cheery happiness and little-kid-ness. Okay, so maybe not _that_ much… but still. And I missed Koga. He rocks the world. ^^

Some people might miss Sesshomaru. I'm one of them. He's so pretty!!! ^_^ Welcome to the "Swooning fangirl" mode of Darkest Side of Death. Pure darkness can be happy too, you know. 

Thanks to Kitai Matsuru, who has reviewed my fic from the first, you are the bomb. I appreciate the fact that I have one steady reviewer… *cough* … I'm thankful for the fickle people that pop in then LEAVE right away too. Really, I am. ^^ 

I have over 10 reviews!!!! And less then 10 chapters!!!! I have… seven chapters!!! And… 13 reviews!!! That's… more than ten!!!

^____________^

If anyone actually read the whole A/N portion of my fic, tell me. Cause it's fun to do, and I want to know if anyone cares about my efforts. And because I'm bored and I like that crazy little stuff. Maybe the top part belongs at the bottom. Maybe I'm still slightly sick. That must be it. Yep. That's gotta be it.

Glass House

"Cause I know who I am and I won't fake it, I'm gonna take a stand, It's my faith that keeps me strong, The light is on in my glass house"

-------- Sango's POV ---------

The warm summer sun draws me out of a troubled sleep. Dreamless and light, I have the sinking feeling that I didn't really get any sleep at all. I think I'm too tired.

Everyone's still asleep. Kilala, Shippou, Nori, and her demons….. people… … …things. It makes me want to cry for some odd reason. Something must be wrong with me. Maybe I got hit in the head with something. Maybe this is just a bad dream. Maybe it's just a nightmare. Maybe I've been caught in some trick of Naraku's, making me think that Miroku's gone, making me believe I have no hope of ever seeing him again…

I sigh, and the sound is like a winter breeze, here in the summer air. So totally out of place I don't know why I even did it. So totally unlike me I don't even know what made me think of it. 

Inuyasha and Kagome are no where to be seen… can't believe I didn't notice that already. 

What if- what if something's happened to them?! The thought hits me like a ton of bricks, waking me up quite fully. I'm so totally aware I think I could sense a pin drop in another village. 

I dive into the forest as softly as I possibly can, leaving the others asleep. They are safe; what with Nori and a horde of warriors and healers at her disposal… and there's Kilala… Poor Shippou, all alone with Mir-

…oh, how could I forget.

__

Miroku's gone.

I pause and listen for any sign of Inuyasha and Kagome. Those tears that are caught in my throat can wait for a later time. Maybe never. At this rate I'll be a sobby, wimpy, pathetic, though wealthy woman in my next life. Maybe that's who I was in my distant past… if such a thing is even possible… 

If I can't think straight, I'll never find Kagome, Inuyasha… or Miroku. I have to concentrate. 

…

…

…

__

Voices. 

Kagome! Inuyasha! I walk forward. What if I'm walking into an attack? I pause, then start walking again. I'd rather be captured with them then safe. I can't be alone anymore. I wish I could withdraw that thought as soon as I spoke it. But I wouldn't be alone. I'd be with Shippou and… Nori. For some odd reason, I don't think too highly of Nori. Maybe it was just the presence of those demon… people… things of hers. But there was something amiss about the thing that is Nori. Something's wro-

I almost walk into a tree. 

Damn thinking. Now I know why it was never encouraged for women to get educated. Women think so much, they forget everything else. Then we'll rule the world. Then the universe. Then a large chain of the store-things that Kagome likes so much. I mean, no woman can rule the world in a day. Hey, no man could rule the world _ever_, so don't laugh.

I'm going to stop thinking now, before it gets me killed. 

I step into a glen and see Inuyasha and Kagome, sitting reasonably and talking like… well, people. _Civilized_ people. They aren't trying to kill each other, or rather, Kagome isn't trying to kill Inuyasha, and Inuyasha is _sitting_, not laying on his face in a small crater. Inuyasha doesn't appear to be calling Kagome rude names or anything of the sort, either. This is _scary_. I wonder what _happened_ last night… ooh…

*squick*

… I think I'm going to stop thinking now, so I don't become mentally scared for life.

"Um… Inuyasha, Kagome!" I call, pretending I just came out of the trees into the glade and I haven't quite seen them yet. 

"Over here, Sango!" Kagome calls, waving happily to me. Inuyasha scowls at me. Kagome beams at me. Overly brightly. Yep, _something_ happened.

"Oh, I was looking all over for you guys!" I gush, disgusted at myself. "Everyone back at camp is asleep… or they were when I left."

"We, er, I just woke up too," Kagome stutters. Now she resembles a tomato. What _happened_ last night?

"I'm going back to camp," Inuyasha announces. I think he was more then happy to get out of here before the "invasion of the girl talk"… or maybe he just didn't want to see _me_.

"Okay," Kagome says, with a twinge of sadness on her voice. 

"'Kay," I say.

"Feh," replies Inuyasha as he bounds off into the woods. 

"Ah, the word of the wise. Where _did_ he get his wit," I remark dryly. Kagome laughs slightly, watching the last spark of red from Inuyasha's clothes vanish to the north… wait, isn't camp the other way?

"So…" Kagome starts sheepishly. "What did you see?"

"Nani?" I gasp, a blush creeping up my cheeks. 

"You could see where we were from where you were standing," Kagome replies shortly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Now it's my turn to be a sheep. "I just saw you two talking… I was afraid you'd gotten captured, so I went looking for you… I didn't want to loose you guys too…" I'm sniffling. I'm being so emotional it's making me sick.

"Thanks for caring about us so much, Sango," she says, softening to my cause. I must remember this; act noble, Kagome forgives. Easily. No matter what the offense is.

"Oh… I mean, I. Think it be. Assume. Um… well…" Stuttering around like an idiot… not good. It means that yes, Sango _is_ loosing her sanity, completely, utterly, fully. Beautiful.

Kagome cocks her head at me as if she understands what I'm saying. At least that makes one of us.

"So… what _did_ happen last night?" I say quickly, for lack of anything better to say, and because the curiosity is about to kill me… and I'm not a cat. It was _that_ bad. 

"…ooh… So. Um. Yes, About that. I…" Now it's her turn. I can see the teachers now… 'Good little kiddies, taking turns so nicely!!! And sharing each other's speaking styles as well!!!' We'd pass Kindergarten with flying colors. I'm happy Kagome talks a lot. She gives everything such a… humorous edge, hn? 

"… so… something _did _happen," I say, looking at her evilly.

"…you… Sango!!!" Kagome looks outraged.

"Okay, so I was wrong," I say slightly. "But it's an answer in the least." She nods at me. My logic has not yet failed me!!!

"Ano…" Kagome starts. And with that enlightening conversation, we sit in silence listen to the sounds of bird calls while we wait for the sun to fully rise so we can go back to camp… or rather, someone to come yell at us to make us move. Everyone was quite tired, and this was the most relaxed I'd felt since Miroku went missing.

__

'Miroku,' I cry in my mind. _'Miroku, don't you dare die on me!! You hear me! Live you ecchi!! If you die I'm gonna kill you!!! Stay alive!!! If you make me cry again, Miroku, you'll regret you ever died!!' _

In my mind, I'm crying hysterically. 

And nothing I'm thinking makes any sense at all. 

Makes me think. When this is all over, will I run, crying, to fall into Miroku's arms? Will I love him? Will he still love me? Will he be okay? Will he be alive, or will I cry over his corpse? Will he hate me? Will he break my heart? Will he be… different? After fighting through all the pain to get to him, will I even be able to cry?

If he dies, how many more of us will die needlessly in the attempts to save him?

Will I even live to see him again?

To Be CoNtInUeD

… I was bored.

The thing that sucks about the phrase "to be continued" is that you can do the alternating caps thing and you can't tell until you get to the "continued" part, so it looks really stupid.

To be Continued

There. 

I like that better.

I don't get what the difference is, either.

And it's a teensy, weensy, Japanese/English dictionary!!

Note! This is just for the words used that weren't mentioned before in the other j/e dictionary in part………4. So if there's one you don't get, go back to part four and read the dictionary. Thank you.

Ai shiteru- I love you

Chotto- a little

Ecchi- pervert

That's it. I blame it on the fact that I lost those lovely pages I like to call my …

…cheat sheets. They have all the words I could possibly need!- or that I could possibly think of needing. Well, they went missing. I was using my memory. Really. Not my other chapters. Okay, maybe I was… but just for spelling!!!

… Is the camera on?

Okay, go press the little purple button that says "go" and submit a review!!! And then add me to your favorite authors list!!!

Fine, start small, start small…

… add my story to your favorite stories list?

Smaller?

Fine. Please review then. Review and… erm… then… um… ???

Everyone: Oh, just leave already!!!!

DSoD: fine. :P


	8. Chapter Eight: Additions

DSoD: I'm baaaaa-ack…

Inuyasha: Who invited the sick sheep?

DSoD: *glare*

Shippou: Disclaimer.

Inuyasha: AHHH!

Shippou: Darkest Side of Death does not own Inuyasha…

Inuyasha: Thank God for that.

Shippou: …because Kagome does.

Inuyasha: HEY!

Kagome: SIT!

Inuyasha: #@%@#^^

Shippou: She does not own… *thinks for a bit* …much of anything, in fact.

Inuyasha: *stands up* Shippou, I'm gonna kill you…

Shippou: I'm just reading what she told me to read!!!

DSoD: Sure, blame it all on the authoress. Here ya go. *hands Shippou a bag of candy slightly larger than himself*

Shippou: ..^_^..

A/N: Thanks, yet again, to Kitai Matsuru. God, I can't post a chapter without her reading it first!!! …I think that's a pretty good thing, so I won't complain. She even reads the "A/N"!!! Yay!! ^_^ 

…You. Yeah, you. Go read all her fanfics. Now. That's what I'm gonna do when I'm done with this chapter, too. ^^

So happy to have so many updates!! New people this chapter!!! Yay!!! ^_^

Glass House

"So tomorrow morning when we step outside our castle…"

Koga sat, rather decisively, on the ground outside of a rather large castle. It smelled funny to him, spelled like… hanyou. Like that pathetic mutt he'd faced… he couldn't even remember when. Twisted within it, however, was the smell of ningen blood. He would bet his tail it was that monk that traveled with the mutt. He also smelled a smell he'd not smelled in quite a long time. 

It was one of those lingering smells that stayed affixed in his mind… he smiled slightly to himself. It was that kind of smell one can never forget. The thing that could make him run thousands of miles… even _without_ the Shikon no Tama embedded in his leg. That was the kind of smell that would always be company for him, no matter how many lives he lived.

He closed his eyes, catching a whiff of the sweet smell on the breezes.

_'Kagome is coming_,'He thought, satisfied. His lips curled up in a slightly demonic smile. _'I can't wait_.'

~*~

Kagome, meanwhile, knew nothing of the wolf demon waiting for her. She was simply too preoccupied to even consider that her long-time suitor was waiting for her over the next hill. In fact, she didn't even know that the castle they'd long searched for was right over the next hill. 

She was walking as quickly as she possibly could, Inuyasha next to her for a change. Nori had sent some of those demon-things ahead of them. Speaking of Nori…

"I don't trust her," Inuyasha said, quietly. "She carries an odd scent. I don't want her to remain with us too much longer."

"Ano…" Kagome had replied, not really surprised. Inuyasha hardly trusted anyone, anyway.

"Kagome?" Shippou asked from Kagome's feet.

"Yea?" Kagome answered. 

"…You don't doubt Nori, do you?" he asked.

"I don't know what to think," Kagome answered truthfully.

"She's-"

"-dame," Inuyasha interrupted.

"No," Kagome protested, "she's not. She's different, but she's not-"

"I'm not what?" Nori asked from behind the three companions.

"Oh, ah, Nori-chan? I didn't hear you come up from behind us!" Kagome blundered, blushing quite red. 

Nori looked dark and evil. So different than she usually was…

"Ano?" she asked irritably. "Do you want my help or not?"

"I think we're just fine without you, thank you very much," Inuyasha spat.

"Inuyas-" Kagome gasped, looking up at the older hanyou. Shippou looked up at him, quite shocked and saddened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Nori interrupted him.

"If you don't want us, we'll go," Nori said, her voice tight.

"But Nori-sama," whined a demon from behind the younger girl, in the shadows. "I don't wanna go!"

"Yea, Nori-sama! If we go, can't we take one of them with us?" another demon asked. 

"Well Miki, Amaya," Nori said like a doting parent over a spoiled child. "Pick one among yourselves and you can take it!"

"What!" Inuyasha gasped, but they were surrounded. "Damn. She meant it."

"Should we take the taji-ya?" a demon asked.

"No Tamika, I want the hanyou!" Hiromi squealed. 

"Let's take the kitsune," Kioko decided.

"Yes, let's take the kawaii little one," Agreed Tamika.

"Of course!" agreed Yoshi. "He's the easiest, and they won't be helpless then."

"What!" Shippou squealed, flushing a bright red.

"No." commanded Dai. "everyone turned to look at their self-appointed leader. "We take the miko-wench. She can see jewel shards."

All the demons began to study Kagome.

"Ah!" Kagome gasped, looking at them fearfully. 

_'Why do my talents always attract the wrong kind of attention?'_ She wondered irritably, because deep down she wasn't terrified. _'…well…_' she glanced at Inuyasha. _'Maybe not _all_ the wrong kinds of attention_…'

"Don't worry, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, wrapping a protecting arm around her. "Mamotte ageru."

"Your concern is touching, but how are you going to defend me against all these guys?" Kagome replied.

Inuyasha smiled evilly, but then again, he could smile any other way _but_ evilly, so Kagome was used to it. But she wasn't sure what his new scheme was… And she hoped she wouldn't have to know, either.

The demons were closing in on Kagome.

"Kilala?" Sango whispered.

Kilala went from being a cute, innocent, chibi cat with big teeth to being a large, dangerous, flying fire-cat with _huge_ teeth.

The demons drew back, hesitant.

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga. 

They looked at Nori and Dai questionably.

"… take the chibi kitsune youkai," Nori commanded. "I don't want to mess with them, not when they're so close to death already."

"Whatdaya mean, wench?" Inuyasha exploded. Like Mount Vesuvious exploded.

"…" Nori flipped her shoulder-length hair sassily and turned around. The demons vanished. So did Shippou.

"Shippou!" Kagome and Sango wailed.

"Don't worry," Inuyasha replied to their tears. "I think that's not the last we'll see of Nori." 

~*~

Lady Kaede sat in her hut around a small fire. She'd long since finished her dinner, and now she was just watching the last embers die away. Something was troubling her.

"Something wrong, Kaede? You are never up this late," a voice said in the doorway. 

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking," Kaede replied without turning around. "Thanks for helping me today, Yuko. I'm getting to old to do this all on my own."

The girl in the doorway smiled brightly. 

"No problem, Kaede-sama!" she replied. "Goodnight!" 

"Goodnight, Yuko!" Kaede called out the door. She sat in silence for a long time, pondering a question that remained in her head no matter how hard she tried to dispel it. 

A sound of the door opening and feet on the threshold withdrew her from her thoughts. Yuko must have forgotten something, dear, sweet girl.

"A moment of your time?" a different voice this time, called out from the door. Kaede started, then quickly turned around to face the shadowed figure against the far wall.

"But-"

"Don't even say it. I just want your advice," the voice said. "I promise not to hurt you. I just feel… different then before. There's someone I need to speak too, and I think you can help me find him."

"A-Anything, as long as you promise not to hurt the person I help you find," Kaede responded.

"I swear it. I don't feel like hurting him anymore… that's what I want to know. I think… I think I'm loosing my soul." Kaede looked quite shocked at this.

"But…"

"Let me speak, please," the voice continued. Kaede swallowed hard.

"Anything, Kikyou onee-chan."

To Be Continued…

Shorter than usual.

I know. 

Gotta go… so it will stay like this. 

:P

~*~DSoD~*~


	9. Chapter Nine: Koga

Disclaimer: blah blah blah.… I think you know the drill.

Greetings. Seeing as I can't think on my originals… I'm concentrating on my fanfics. Mainly this one cause I like it best. ^^

Well, Thanks again to Kitai Matsuru… I think I should just have that automatic now… Not bothering to check my e-mail before I type, just writing it down. -.-

Yay! I had some plans for this story from the beginning… I lost them. They sucked. Really badly. So now I have *new* plans, and they're better. And more complicated. I just like the characters soooooo much I use as many of them as I possibly can… ^_^

Erm… well, yes, I think that is all… if it's not I'm sure to add it at the bottom, but if there's more after this, it means I forgot something. 

I forgot something. Help welcome. Ideas welcome. Even flames are welcome, for cripes sake, just as long as they're nice!!! 

Wait… ^^;;;;;

Glass House

"…We think before we let the judgement calls unravel."

The sun was slowly setting behind the castle where Miroku was held. Reds, yellows, oranges, and pinks made up the light that was everything but evil. Unlike the castle they illuminated. Unlike the young man whose shadow danced among the grasses that made up the hills around the castle. Very much unlike the mannerism all the people within the area bore. But the sun didn't know that, and neither did the sky. 

In fact, only three people actually did know of the presence of all the others. One in the castle, waiting for his bait to be taken, and the one who was watching the castle, waiting for her lord and master to come for her. The third was her lord and master, who was waiting for his dreams to come true, after all these years…

But the sun didn't know this. The sun was quite content to set as was its pattern and order throughout all eternity.

The wind shifted slightly. The man on the hill cocked his head slightly in the direction the wind seemed to deem its source. He could smell tears on the wind. 

The change of the wind enabled a figure behind the man on the blind side of the hill to escape without being sensed by the powerful demon above him.

A few flower petals blew wildly in the wind, casting flitting shadows on the ground. The man watched them with a cold eye. When the wind stopped they fell to the ground, becoming parts of their own shadows. The youkai smiled, slightly…

Footfalls on the dry grass before him drew him from his temporary state of calm, and the reverie was broken. He looked up to see another young man before him. A white-haired boy with two ears on his head like a inu. 

_Inuyasha…_

The gentle padding of feet on either side of the dog-demon turned his eyes from narrowed darts of hatred to open circles laced with some foreign emotion. Like joy, like reunion, like happiness…

…like love.

The two black-haired girls came into view, and the young man of the hill smiled slightly. There was one dressed in a yukata with a small cat walking at her feet, the taji-ya Sango, and then another. She was dressed in a green and white fuku that showed her beautiful form. 

Kagome. 

The demon felt something like relief pass through his heart. Relief she was still alive. Relief that she was not harmed. Relief that she was, apparently, still… single. 

Kagome!

She looked surprised to see him. So did the taji-ya. The cat didn't; she must have sniffed me out, the man thought. The hanyou didn't look surprised, but that was to be expected.

He wasn't surprised either.

"Inuyasha," the man said, almost politely.

The women looked at Inuyasha with shocked looks on their faces. Inuyasha just stared straight ahead at the man, no surprise on his face.

"You're here," he said, as if to relay his doubt.

"Of course I am," the youkai answered. "I'm here just as you told me." 

At this Kagome gasped, Sango looked at Inuyasha with wide eyes, and Kilala even looked a bit unbelieving. They all looked as if they expected him to fall back and laugh at them, as if he were to say that this was all a big joke, got ya!- or something of the nature.

But this was no joke.

The wind ruffled their hair, blowing those troublesome rose petals away again, making them fly about him. Like this was some romance or something.

Really, it was quite the opposite.

"Demo…" Kagome gasped, her eyes darting from Inuyasha to the youkai and back again. The demon shifted slightly, looking slightly nervous. Kagome wondered why, then she turned around and saw Sango staring at the otoko rather fixedly, her eyes showing no signs of blinking or moving.

"Sango," Kagome hissed, elbowing the girl in the ribs.

"Oh. Ah. What?" Sango asked, not turning her gaze from the boy.

"Stop staring at him like that!" Kagome whispered harshly.

"Gomen." Sango blushed and turned her attention away from the youkai. He looked quite relieved.

"Now, what are you talking about? You planned this?" Kagome directed her attention towards the two boys.

"Yes, we did," Inuyasha spat. "Because who knows how hard this may be and we both want to kill Naraku anyway, right?"

"Um… you do?" Sango asked, looking quite confused. Inuyasha ignored her and continued with his explanation. 

"So I sent Kilala with a message to tell him to help us."

"You used Kilala like a messenger?" Sango gasped.

"Gomen," Inuyasha threw halfheartedly her way.

"Um…" Kagome started, looking at the boy across from her. He was eyeing her up. "Something on your mind?" she asked.

"… Are you still available?" the boy questioned.

"Nani?! Come of it!" Kagome exploded.

"…Gomen," the boy replied sheepishly.

"Baka otoko no ko," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

"And you just… came," Sango directed the question at the boy, desperate to return the conversation to the important job of answering her questions.

"I came," the youkai said mightily, "Because this baka thinks he can take me on!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped.

"I just said I'd fight him Kagome, it's okay," Inuyasha brushed her off.

"Let's get down to business then," Sango said carefully.

"Good idea," Inuyasha agreed.

"Yes, let's," Kagome smiled.

"…"

"Well?"

"You promise to fight me?" the boy asked Inuyasha.

"Yes, I do already!" 

"Good."

"Come on then, Koga," Inuyasha ordered.

"Watch it, mutt-boy," Koga growled. "Wolves eat little puppies like you."

"Concentrate on eating baboons!" Kagome yelled, frustrated. Everyone was very quiet the rest of the walk to the castle. Partially because they were nervous… mainly because they were slightly afraid of Kagome's game plans.

They reached the castle with little difficulty. No demons, no nothing.

"Naraku must have a lot of fire power in there," Sango noted.

"Or maybe he's not even there," Inuyasha grumbled.

"He's there," Kagome whispered. "I can sense his jewel fragments…"

From that point on, they didn't doubt their mission.

"Miroku," Sango whispered from behind them. "I hope you're okay…"

And from somewhere within the depths of the castle he lay, so far from her "okay" it was rather hilarious. 

Naraku laughed uproariously.

"Come, little ones," he taunted from within the safety of his castle. "Come and try to find me…"

To Be Continued…

Really. I promise.

Well… if you have any advice for me, corrections, help, ideas… anything, please post it in a review. 

Awe, just review.

Please keep the reviews above two words… that is SO irritating… unless they're really good words, like "wonderful", "fantastic", and other such long happy words…

^_^


	10. Chapter Ten: Tears

Disclaimer: If you don't know this by now, you have an IQ lower than that of a tomato. 

Someone: what is it?

Everyone else: *sweatdrop*

Well, thanks to Kitai Matsuru, Kaylana, Crystal17, and buffytara for reviewing!

I'm so sorry it took so long, what with school and swimming it was hard to finish my homework let alone update a story. 

I have been smote, Kaylana, very sorry. ^^;;;;;

I shall try to keep Inuyasha and Kagome from being too mushy, as this is a M/S centered story. 

… lalalalaaaa! 

Well, onwards and upwards to the center of the earth!- or rather, to the next chapter!

Glass House

"Our Savior said to love each other, why must we go on hurting one another?"

Nori was walking among the reeds alongside of a large lake when her Lord came and stood before her. She smiled up at the human-like youkai before her, and in a bright, childish voice chirped out:

"Ohayo!" 

"Konnichi wa, Nori-chan," spoke the youkai on the banks of the lake. "What news have you for me?"

"You tell me first! Onegai?" Nori pouted, looking up at the white cloaked demon.

"Nori…" he began warningly, and Nori sighed and snapped her fingers lifelessly. Her band of followers flew about her.

"Hey! Lemme go!" The small, high pitched voice struck a discordant note in the pale youkai's mind, and he turned with ungodly speed to face the offender.

Shippou struggled helplessly against the arms of Miki and Tora, crying like a wounded cat. Nori's guardian's eyes rounded at the sight of the kitsune youkai in the spirit's arms. 

"Nori-chan," her guardian said very slowly and pointedly, trying to keep his anger in check. "what is that, any why did you take it?"

"It's a fox demon. They called if Shippou-chan," Nori remarked placidly.

"…it reeks of human influence. That and the smell of a half-human."

"Well, d'oh, what did you expect? You can't run around with a bunch of humans and a hanyou and not start smelling like them! I took it because they wanted it," she motioned over her shoulder at the crowd of demon-people.

"Kill it," the Lord's voice said, a snarl forming over his lips. "Or abandon it, we have no need of it. It reminds me of that pathetic mutt, Inuyasha. I won't travel with it near me."

Shippou moaned fearfully, Miki let out a strangled sob, and Nori-chan bowed her head.

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama," she said obediently, her tearful eyes trained on the muddy ground that gathered about her sandals.

~*~

It's not every day your undead sister comes to you and tells you that she's going to die… again. Kaede was in so much shock she hardly was able to register her sister's words. Were it not for her pity of her sister's state, Kaede would have banished her sister to a hot and fiery place, as that was the only location the vengeful spirit would gain peace. 

"I'm sorry if I intruded," Kikyou said, sitting down gracefully before her much older younger sister.

Sure, of course. Feel free to come ruin my life whenever you feel like it. 

"It's no trouble. What do ye want?" Kaede asked instead. 

"I want your help, sister. I want to know where Inuyasha-kun and the others are," Kikyou said.

Never one to dawdle on pleasantries, that's my sister.

"Why do ye want to know?" Kaede questioned against her initial reaction.

"Because," Kikyou said, making no effort to mask her impatience, I need to speak to the wench Inuyasha is protecting so foolishly."

First you try to kill her, then you want her help. What a wonderful thought process the undead have, eh dear sister Kikyou?

"I know not where they are," spoke Kaede firmly. "They left some time ago into the woods and I have not yet seen them."

"You are of no help to me then," Kikyou rose to go, but before she exited she turned around abruptly and stood before her sister. "Dear little Kaede," Kikyou said softly. "Make sure Inuyasha doesn't act to stupid, once I'm gone. I'll miss you."

Before Kaede could open her mouth to speak, Kikyou was gone. Tears filled her eyes, and one escaped against all her efforts, to fall down a wizened cheek. Deep within her heart, she knew she would never see her sister again.

~*~

"Kagura?" the voice of Naraku broke the stillness of the maze. 

"Yes, my lord?" Asked the wind demon, alighting on her large feather before her creator. She had come to think of him like that, though he was more of her brother than her creator, and more a creator than a sibling. Kagura sighed irritably. As of right now she was a stupid incarnation. Naraku was slightly pretty, but in a not-so-demonic enough way to be cool, and an angelic, girly kind of beauty that no one could ever love. She liked to think of herself of being at least slightly prettier than Naraku was. Most certainly not a mere incarnation. 

"Is the test ready?" the not-quite-a-bishounen asked of her placidly.

"Hai," she replied, allowing a demonic smile to curve about her lips. "There's no way they'll survive."

"Good, good," stated Naraku distractedly. 

"Daijoubu?" Kagura asked. The plan was quite capable of failure, and it most certainly would die out if Naraku wasn't paying attention to the proceedings.

"I'm fine," Naraku snapped. A whirling of air and the part-time baboon was gone. 

"Nice talking to you too," Kagura muttered angrily, wishing, perhaps, for a moment that she would get a little attention. Maybe everything would be different if she thought, even slightly, that she mattered. Her head felt heavy and her eyes began to fill with tears. She brushed them away as quickly as she could, flying off to find somewhere else to divulge in her self-pity. 

~*~

Miroku was thinking along the same lines of Kagura's train of thought at the moment. He was wondering whether or not his old friends were trying to find him or not. The fact that he didn't know sent waves of hopelessness through his heart, and tears filled his already swollen eyes.

"…I wonder if you'll find me, Sango-heart," Miroku managed to say through lips that were parched and dry. "I wonder if you'll care enough."

The words barely made an imprint on the air around him.

"Will you find me, Sango? I'm so lost…" the sound of his own voice was no reassurance, for it was weak.

Too weak. It had been to long since he'd seen anyone, too long since he'd received any food or water, too long since he'd been given the will to even stand up.

"Sango, I can't live too much longer, you realize," he whispered to the air, as if hoping his words would find their way into his beloved's mind. "Eventually I won't have the strength to call myself back."

His eyes closed, and two diamond tears snaked down his dirt stained cheeks.

"I did this… for you, you… must realize… I just wanted you to be safe… I want…you to hear me…know I am here…" he broke off to wipe the tears with his hand. "now that you can't see me, maybe… you can hear me… now?"

There was no sound, and only the stillness of the cell he lay in told him he truly was alive.

"Can you… speak to me… now?" he called. "I fear that I am going slightly mad… talking to myself… when the Gods… they will send me an answer… send me an answer!" he prayed weakly, hoping with all the strain in his heart that his Gods would pity him.

There was no reply, not even the echo of his own voice. 

To be Continued….

Wasn't that horribly angst-y?

Well… please review? Aye?

~*~DSoD~*~


	11. Chapter Eleven: Fear

A/N: wow!! Chapter eleven!!! I'm so proud of myself!!

Disclaimer: If I didn't own it last time, what makes you think my situation has changed any?

Well, thanks go to more than one person today!! Yay!!! ^____^

Thank you thank you thank you!'s- go to…:

I'll try to keep up my updates, but it's kind of hard, what with school and other nonsense.

Well… hey, question. Who, besides me, loves Kanna's voice? I mean, it's so cool!!! I like when she's talking to Kagome. She's all "Kagome. Look into my mirror. Give up your soul." I think it's so cool!!

*sniff* and that one episode, where Kagome goes home and wants to stay there, but comes back and apologizes to Inuyasha and says she wants to stay, that one made my cry. Je suis emotive. ^^

Ah, Kaylana! You hath beat Kitai Matsuru! And then… she beat everyone else! Yay!

Okay, that was crazy fun.

People like how I write! Yay! 

***** * Okay, enough commenting time… question time! Just call me slow, cause then you'd be right, but does anyone know what the names of Naraku's incarnations are? I know Kagura, Kanna, and Goshinki, but what were the other two? J-something and K-something… right? I just want to know. Cause they ARE dead, right? And does anyone remember the name of Totosai's apprentice, the one who forged the sword from Goshinki's fang… the name of which has also escaped me? That I need to know… and am I spelling everything right?******

Well… on to part eleven!

Glass House

"Though it may be easier to run and hide…"

Inuyasha, Kagome, Koga, Kilala, and Sango stepped across the last hill to stand before the gates of Naraku's castle. Inuyasha looked vaguely hopeful, Sango looked furious, Koga's face was a mask of indifference, and Kagome's face was screwed up in a determined fashion. Kilala was looking, well, like herself, and her mouth was open slightly as she growled. The sound rumbled from deep within her throat and carried on currents of air, informing the ever-hidden Naraku that the cause of his death had arrived and they weren't here for talking. Rising with her angry sound was her telling Miroku he better be alive, because she was sick to death of seeing her mistress cry.

Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga, Koga cracked his knuckles, Kagome notched a bow to her arrow and Sango touched Hiraikotsu with one hand. The gates slowly swung open before them, and they purposely walked forward into Naraku's permanent domain.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked after a moment, her fear evident in her voice. "If Naraku should decide to move his castle- have it vanish and reappear- while we're in it, would we be trapped within?" 

Inuyasha stopped moving for a second.

"Never thought about that," he admitted grudgingly.

"Of course you didn't, mutt-boy, you never think," Koga noted arrogantly. Inuyasha gave Koga a Look that clearly said 'keep that up and sign your death wish', which Koga promptly ignored.

"Let's go!" Sango cried, irritated. "We have to go save Miroku!" Everyone turned to stare at her for a moment, then the followed her towards the castle.

The shadows were long and cloaked the high stone walls in shades of gray. 

"This doesn't seem right," Kagome whispered.

She could sense the jewel shards beyond the walls.

"Something is wrong," Kagome murmured, her step faltering for a moment.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked. 

"There's something wrong," her voices sounded weak and high. "We can't go on, wait, it's not right!" she cried, not recognizing her own voice.

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Koga asked, grasping Kagome's hand firmly in his. "What's wrong?" 

"Something… there's something waiting, we can't… don't!" Kagome wailed helplessly, fighting her instinct to run away. 

"What are you saying?" Inuyasha said, impatiently and oddly compassionately, for him, anyway. 

"Sango's… gone," Kagome whispered, her eyes going slightly out of focus and a goofy smile appearing on her face. "Sango kept walking, and now Sango's gone."

Koga and Inuyasha looked at each other, looked at Kagome, looked towards the castle, then wildly began to search for the apparently missing tajiya.

"She is gone," Koga murmured. 

"Into the castle," Inuyasha breathed. "Without us."

There was a long period of silence in which everyone tried to figure out who had led their friend to ditch them. Or rather, Inuyasha glared at Koga, Koga glared back, and Kagome smiled like a child. 

Inside the castle, Sango stood, waiting for Naraku to start the games.

Behind her, the castle walls slowly began to flicker, like a candle about to go out…

…or like a castle attempting to vanish, leaving the grounds behind.

~*~

Soft singing awoke Sesshomaru from his light slumber. He glanced about, irked at being awakened and even more irritated that the voice wasn't louder, as it had a calming affect on his nerves.

"_Hontouni taisetsuna…_"

Sesshomaru blinked, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and walked towards the voice in the stupor of the morning. 

"_Mono igai subete sutete…_"

Puzzled, Sesshomaru pushed back the reeds to wade in the water at the banks of the lake. Nori-chan was asleep, and with her the people she controlled. Controlled through his own power regarding the dead, of course, with some added help from the powers the girl already possessed.

"_Shimaetara iinonine…_"

Even if it was someone he knew, no, it couldn't be. The voice was foreign, yet something on the edge of his conscious mind told him he knew it already.

"_Genjitsuwa tada zankokude…_"

The words had an odd appeal, as they struck a bit to close to home for his own liking. Sesshomaru did not hate his brother, just disliked him, for many reasons, actually, but it wasn't hate. His father had taught him better. Yet, it was Inuyasha's father too… Damn, why couldn't that mutt learn any respect?

"_Sonna toki itsudatte, mewo tojireba…_"

"Who's there?" Sesshomaru called, an action so unlike him it was almost disconcerting.

"_Warat-_" the voice faltered.

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru demanded, now just irritated that he had to repeat himself.

"Just me," the voice in answer wasn't half as beautiful or mystical as the voice that had been singing, and Sesshomaru decided it would be irritating to hear that voice a lot. 

"I'm not in the mood to play games," Sesshomaru answered, readying the poison claws he was so proud of to- well, we won't go there. As he came around the bend, he saw a very half-dressed, very odd looking woman standing about waist deep in the cold water.Now he knew he recognized her.

"Kikyou. The miko-wench," he snarled. "My little brother's dead lover."

"I appear very much alive, Sesshomaru," Kikyou answered placidly, clearly telling him whether or not he thought her alive didn't matter.

"You know you have no heart," Sesshomaru sneered.

"What you don't know," Kikyou answered, looking him right in the face. "is that soon I will have no soul."

The relative calm with which she stated this made Sesshomaru recoil slightly, as if in shock. He managed, at the last minute, to prevent himself from moving at all, but his shock was scribbled across his face.

"I want you to do me a favor," Kikyou said. "I want you to help me save your little brother, Inuyasha."

"Why would I do something like that?" Sesshomaru laughed.

"Because if you don't," Kikyou answered, irritated. "Nori and her sisters will kill you- suck the soul right out of you and make you Naraku's puppet."

"I don't believe you," Sesshomaru replied. "Nori has no family. I found Nori, rescued her, used some of her power to make her a strong ally, and I watched out for her."

"You don't know anything," Kikyou answered.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, eyes narrowed. "I know that you're going to die, and if you take my brother with you, then that's ridding the world of several bad souls all at once."

"I know that once you fall, Naraku will rule this world."

"I won't fall, I don't care," Sesshomaru growled. "Now leave me!"

"Alright. I know you'll come anyway, Sesshomaru. Any chance to kick Naraku's fat monkey rear will bode that you attend." Kikyou dismissed his protests with a lofty wave of her hand. "If you don't come, it'll mean that you're scared of your brother, Naraku, and your own heart."

Kikyou's soul collectors bore her away from the confused youkai.

"…I'm not afraid," said youkai whispered to the air, looking almost fearfully behind him to Nori's sleeping place. "I'm not afraid."

His voice sounded so small and frail the wind carried it right back to him, almost feeling pleasure when the saw the all mighty youkai flinch.

To Be Continued…

Okay, ending notes:

Does Sesshomaru even sleep? Well, if he didn't he does now.

A very intuitive person may have noticed the lyrics are Inuyasha's ending theme for the third season, "Dearest". This is the translation (or a pretty close one, at that) to the lines I used:

It would be nice if we could throw away

Everything but what is most important

Reality is just cruel

But whenever

I close my eyes

You're there, smiling (actually I cut off halfway through this line)

If, for any reason, anyone wants the romaji version or the dubbed version of this song, I have the Japanese romaji (possibly the translation, too), and the dubbed version in both languages. Just say so in a review or send me an e-mail.

Japanese to English Dictionary! This is for new words from part 8 to now. For words before that, go to the end of part 4 and/or part 7. I was going to do one at 8 and 12… but I didn't. So there. 

Kisama: you (disrespectful) (this was actually before, but I forgot to put it in)

Dame: bad, no good

Mamotte ageru: I will protect you

Fuku: uniform, like Kagome's school clothes

Yukata: simple cotton kimono

Otoko no ko: boy

Otoko: man, guy

Ohayo: good morning!

Konnichi wa: hello

Onegai?: please?

Bishounen: pretty boy (like Sesshomaru)

-onee-chan: what you'd call a sister (Kaede calls Kikyou "Kikyou-onee-chan")


	12. Chapter Twelve: Doorways

Wow. When did I get so many reviews? Never thought I would break twenty… wow. 

Thanks to Carey- wow, did I spell the names wrong! Thank you sooooo much!

Also thanks to Kitai Matsuru! I will say to you what I say to all my friends: School is mean. The only reason they have it start at 7 freaking o'clock in the morning is so that we have no fun, don't have time to update or read updates, and generally have a life. ::sob:: School is elitist!!!!

Thank you both for reviewing my story!! I appreciate that soooo much!!!

Disclaimer: Okay, guess what? You're never going to guess it! Guess, just guess, I dare you! 

People: you still don't own Inuyasha.

Wow. How ever did you guess?! You ruin all my fun.

Yay! I did a speech for my English class on Rumiko Takahashi. I had no idea the full name for Inuyasha is "Inu-Yasha Sengoku Otogi Zoushi". I'm an idiot. I thought the whole "Feudal Fairy Tale" thing was an American idea for a creepy edited version! I give my country too much credit. _Way_ to much credit.

Oi! Merry Christmas to y'all!!! 

Hehe, I got the Inuyasha Art Book for Christmas. Tankies, Arzian-chan!!! ^_^ *hugs book*

Well.. yes. That's it. Really.

Glass House

"I'm gonna let you in 'cause I can take it"

Sango looked about the threshold of the castle of Naraku. She was furious and scared and lonely and- there was a whole lot of emotion, to put it lightly.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she spun around, ready to whip Hiraikotsu at the poor youkai/ningen/hanyou who had the misfortune to sneak up behind her.

"Sango, it's just us!" Inuyasha hissed, raising an arm to ward off Sango's edgy attack.

"Don't sneak up behind me!" She cried, her apprehension turning into frustration at Inuyasha, Koga, Kagome and even Kilala. 

"We didn't sneak up behind you!" Kagome whispered with a sharp edge of irritation on her voice. "We didn't sneak!! We didn't!" 

Sango raised her eyebrows, mentally screaming with anger that she couldn't raise just one like Inuyasha could. Apparently Kagome was better; he panic attack outside the castle seemed to have passed, and now all that remained was a slightly demonic laugh hidden behind her eyes. 

"Why are we whispering?" Koga asked in a mock whisper clearly placed to irritate Inuyasha. "Naraku already knows we are here, anyway." 

"No, ya think?" Inuyasha deadpanned. Koga scowled, putting an arm around Kagome's shoulders. 

She was still slightly dazed, Inuyasha told himself. She was afraid, and Koga was her friend!- right? 

Inuyasha's right eye began to twitch furiously, and Koga smiled at the irate hanyou. For a moment, the two had forgotten they were even in Naraku's castle to begin with, much less the danger they were in. 

"Welcome to Naraku's parlor." Said the kaze-youkai to the Yume-team.

"It's '"Welcome to _my_ parlor," _said the spider to the fly_'," Kagome corrected the incarnation with the carelessness of the slightly insane. To the mad, there is no friend, no foe, no curfew, and not much of a life, apparently. 

"And I care because…?" Kagura replied, waving her free hand at the useless information. Inuyasha was only thankful it wasn't her fan, though if she _had_ waved the fan, it may have woken Kagome up a bit.

"Just telling you," Kagome replied with an edge to her voice. 

"What_ever_!" Kagura replied. 

"Demo-" Kagome began, raising her pointer finger.

"_Fuujin no Mai_(1)_!_" Kagura cried, irritated, waving her fan at the assembled party. 

"Iie!" Kagome cried and the wind tore up the ground in front of her. Inuyasha picked her off her feet and leapt behind Kagura to a platform of stones built into the wall. He dropped her unceremoniously onto the ground and drew Tetsusaiga. 

Inuyasha leapt away to face Kagura with Sango and Kilala, and Kagome tried to pull herself together. She notched an arrow to her bow, aiming at Kagura's back. 

"I wouldn't do _that_, if I were you," a voice informed her from behind the slightly dazed miko.

"It's '_I would go back if I was you_'!!" Kagome cried, irritated that no one seemed to know their movie lines. As she turned around, she wondered why anyone would be up here, when Kagura and Inuyasha were fighting below them…

"Kagome-miko, we meet again," Kanna said with an audible, though not visible, smirk. "Look into this mirror, Kagome. Give up your soul." 

"I feel like we've been here before…" Kagome sighed, raising her bow towards the pale girl, fully intending to blast the soul mirror as she had before. But something felt… wrong. There was too much water in the air, and she couldn't fully breath… Kagome's mouth formed an "o" of surprise and fear as her mind was frozen in place by something not unlike a powerful youkai. Kanna laughed sadistically at the dazed girl.

"So, how does it feel to share your mind?" Kanna asked, promptly ignoring the fact Kagome couldn't make a sound. "Must feel kind of weird…" 

__

'It's like she pities me…' the crumb of freedom in Kagome's mind thought. _'It's almost as if she knows how I feel…_'

Kanna vanished just as Kagome regained complete control of her senses- completely forgetting what had just taken place. 

Inuyasha raised his head. Koga was making a similar gesture. The two looked at each other for a long moment, forgetting for a second they were enemies, forgetting for a moment the battle they were locked in, forgetting everything except for a smell that twisted along the edge of the air. They could almost taste it, but it was faint, tantalizing, there and then gone before they could place it.

It was then Kagura's Dance tore at Sango, who was standing transfixed by a door carved into the wall. 

"Sango!" Inuyasha cried, diving to rescue the girl. He knew in his heart he would never make it before the blades had torn the girl to shreds.

Time seemed to stand still. Tears filled Sango's eyes as she watched the wind coming at her. Her death.

'_It doesn't even matter,' _Sango thought weakly. _'Miroku-sama is dead. He couldn't be alive. What's worth living. Stupid houshi-ecchi, getting stuck in my head…'_

"Sango!" Inuyasha cried, diving forwards. Kagura laughed, watching the blades of wind rush towards the exterminator.

The Dance tore at the place Sango had been standing.

"Sango!" Kagome cried. 

Rushing over, however, Inuyasha could find neither body nor blood, or any sign the girl had even been there. Kagura raised her eyebrows, searching for, well, carnage and bloodshed, and she was peeved when neither appeared to be there. 

"Why even look, fools," a voice spat from the shadows. "You think the girl would give up that easily?"

Kagome, Koga, Inuyasha, and Kagura turned to face the voice that had just rebuked them all at once. 

"K-Kikyou?" Inuyasha gasped, eyes widening and mouth opening and closing in shock.

"Stop that, Inuyasha, you look like a big fish," Kikyou noted, waving a hand with a lofty air. 

Sango was standing behind the miko with a wide-eyed expression on her own face. 

"And you," Kikyou frowned at Sango. "You fool." Kikyou slapped Sango soundly across the face. "Don't go giving up, now." Her cold gaze turned on Kagome, and she rather sneered at her. "And you are acting perfectly helpless. Honestly, you make me feel pathetic, oh reincarnation of mine."

"I'm not you!" Kagome yelled, anger overshadowing her fear for a moment.

Kagura crept away.

"I like a good reunion as much as anyone," Koga hissed through clenched teeth. "But now is really not the time." Everyone stared at him for a moment.

"He's right, you know," Kikyou allowed, watching the wolf demon with approval in her eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Koga snapped, walking forward into the hall at the end of the room. Kagome and Sango followed the impatient boy, but Inuyasha and Kikyou hung back.

"Kikyou…" Inuyasha started, watching her with soft eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Because I want revenge on Naraku and this strikes me as a good place to start. I was running blindly for anger, Inuyasha. I would have aided anyone in this fool's quest, it just happened that this time it was you and your crew," Kikyou's eyes held no room for pity.

Inuyasha looked hurt in a backwards sort of way. Kikyou sighed, as she hated when he got so stupid too. 

"Besides," Kikyou nodded at Kagome's retreating back. "You have her, and I have nothing left." 

Before Inuyasha could deny that statement, Kikyou had turned and started walking away. Inuyasha shrugged and leapt ahead to stand by Koga, who was glaring at a large, detailed door. Without a doorknob or any other apparent means of entry.

"…Koga?" Inuyasha growled, trying not to hit the demon. "Why exactly have you lead us to a WALL?"

"It's not a _wall_," Koga snapped irritably. "It's a door, I just don't know how to open it."

"That's new," Inuyasha noted, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, inu-yarou, are you asking for me to trash your ass right here and now?" Koga hollered, turning on the hanyou with death in his eyes. 

"If that would make you less cocky," Inuyasha began, cracking his knuckles.

"you b-" 

"OSWARI!" Kagome yelped, scowling at the irate demon. "STOP PROVOKING HIM!"

Koga winced. 

"You WENCH! What was THAT for?!" Inuyasha yelled from the crater he was currently inhabiting. 

"WHAT WAS MY NAME?" Kagome screamed back.

"WENCH!" Inuyasha returned.

"OSWARI!" Kagome yelled.

"I-ita-ai…" Inuyasha moaned from the stone floor. "Gomen! Gomen!" 

Kagome scowled at him, and then turned her black gaze on Koga, who looked visibly flustered and started backing away.

"Kagome, love," he admonished her. "Do not waste your breath on the hasty dog, he will never have manners." He then proceeded to try and appear as if he had any manners whatsoever. Kagome sighed.

"Thanks for the support, Koga," she groaned. "Stop provoking Inuyasha-kun!"

Kikyou watched silently as Sango moved towards the door.

"Kagome-chan, look at this!" Sango called, waving the girl over.

"What…" Kagome fell silent, reading the pictures on the door. "We're going to our deaths." 

"Exactly. What… you think we should find another entrance?"

"Where? Did you see another one?" Kagome bit her lip. "Let's just go through, find Miroku, and deal with our own mortality later."

Sango looked unsure, and emotion she had never felt before and let show, but she shrugged.

"Inuyasha-kun?" Sango called. "Can you blast this door in for us?"

"Feh."

One big bang later, Inuyasha and company was walking through what was left of the wall, through the dust and rubble to another room much like the one they had entered, only this one was different.

Standing at the opposite end of the room beside a round door was the baboon: Naraku.

To Be Continued… 

(1) Okay, this was in my book, but I don't know for sure if it is correct… any information on Kagura, Kanna, or any other incarnations and any attacks used at all are greatly appreciated, really!!!!! ^^

That was fun, if rambly and pointless. I am on Break now and shall do my best to update at least once more before my birthday on the 5th, okay? ^^

Chotto ja!

~*~DSoD~*~


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